


The Phantom of the Arena

by Aleteia



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Hiccup Leaves Before The Final Training Test, Darker-than-Canonverse Hiccup, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Phantom Hiccup, Rape Mention (no actual rape), Scars of the Past, Secret Identity, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2019-08-01 14:48:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 220,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16286591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aleteia/pseuds/Aleteia
Summary: Dragons and Berk have been at war for generations; one year ago however, strange things started to happen during raids, which cannot possibly be the work of a dragon. Refusing to let her village be haunted by what they call the Phantom of the Arena, Astrid sets out to find the culprit.-------------------Hiccup leaves AU, inspired on the musical The Phantom of the Opera. Rated M for violence and sexual content. Chapters containing sexual content are marked as such.





	1. Overture

**Author's Note:**

> As stated in the summary, this fic will be a Hiccup Leaves AU, inspired on the musical The Phantom of the Opera. It is not a songfic however, and it takes place in the HTTYD universe as normal. It will absolutely not be necessary to know/like the musical for this fic to be understandable! It will not follow or copy the musical one-to-one, but the fic will simply be inspired by its story and its songs. Not all characters from the musical will be featured either; for instance, for those familiar with the musical: there will be NO Raoul (and no love-triangle shenanigans!), but other and multiple characters might behave similarly to him.
> 
> This fic is work in progress, so I might go back and add notes/revise chapters later on. If significant changes are made at one point, I will point this out.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> I can also be found on Tumblr at aleteia-ff, where I post background information and sneak previews for new chapters!

A loud, crackling sound. Screaming. A blast.

Astrid held an arm in front of her eyes, shielding them from the light and debris caused by the explosion. The beast in front of her looked at her, curiously, as it stepped onto what little was left of the house it’d just destroyed. This was the opening she’d been looking for.

“Snotlout!” she yelled, gesturing at the guy a few metres away from her, who was frantically trying to scare away a Gronckle with his axe.

Snotlout looked at her and followed her finger to their target. He nodded, gave the Gronckle a firm poke in the head with the hilt of his axe, and turned towards his new target. Astrid gave him the signal that meant _Go_ and, deafening those around them with their respective battle cries, they rushed towards the destructive creature. One of its heads gazed curiously at Astrid and released a bit of gas from its mouth. Astrid tumbled to the side, momentarily confusing it, and then leapt, axe raised above her head. It landed right on the Zippleback’s neck and the dragon’s gas-breathing head fell to the ground with a small _thump_ – lifeless, its snake-like tongue comically hanging out of its mouth. Seconds after, its other head joined it and the Zippleback’s body collapsed. Snotlout grinned at her triumphantly.

She wiped the sweat off her forehead. “Nice job, Snot.” She forced out a small smile. After all, after she’d slain her head, his job had been significantly easier.

“Why would you _do_ that?” someone whined behind her. Astrid twirled around. The twins. _Of course_.

Ruffnut walked up to her, waving her sword around aimlessly. Tuffnut was right behind her. “You know we love to kill Zipplebacks!”

Tuffnut nodded in agreement. “Yeah, they’re like, the twins of dragons! Two heads, two times the power, two times the _awesomeness_!”

His excitement had the exact opposite effect on Astrid. She sighed, pinching her forehead. “At least ZIpplebacks have two brains,” she muttered, just loudly enough for the twins to hear. She gazed around, looking for her next target. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a Deadly Nadder flying towards their harbour, where Berk’s fishing boats had docked earlier that day. She readied her axe and started sprinting down Berk’s slopes in an attempt to catch up with the beast.

“There’s nothing wrong with only having one brain, Astrid!” Ruffnut shot back behind her. “Yeah,” Tuffnut added. “That’s why we’re so in sync!” A sound that seemed like a high-five followed.

Astrid picked up her pace while keeping her eyes fixated on the Nadder. She padded her skirt, looking for the bola she’d strapped around her hips when the raid had started. The Nadder was starting to lower itself down towards the ships. She had to hurry, or she’d miss her shot. Then, she hit a wall. A soft one.

She looked up. Stoick the Vast was looking down at her. She had bumped into all his… vastness. Stoick himself seemed unimpressed. This probably happened to him all the time.

“Astrid, I need you on the watchtower,” he ordered, his voice deep and his tone serious.

“But that Nadder’s heading straight for our fishing ships!”

“Dragons steal sheep, not fish,” he stated. “Now head up there and man the catapult!”

She took a small second to herself to process Stoick’ s dismissal before strengthening her resolve and making her way up to the watchtower. She ran up the stairs and arrived at the catapult only slightly out of breath. Her current position on top of the tower gave her a good overview of Berk under siege; old village, lots and lots of new houses. The place was swarmed with dragons looking for their precious livestock; a few of them had already lost their lives doing so, including the Hideous Zippleback Snotlout and her had beheaded earlier. Vikings ran around, swords, shields and axes held high and torches lit. It was chaos, but it was the kind of chaos she had gotten used to after 19 years. And they had to keep going; it was either the dragons, or them. And she was not going to let one more Viking die. Not on her watch.

She scanned the area, looking for the best place to strike; with as long as it took a catapult to reload, she had to make sure every single shot counted. She spotted a Gronckle heading for a few of their sheep. She turned the catapult, carefully aiming it so that it would not hit any Vikings. She grabbed the handle firmly, pulled it and heard a soft _click_. She froze. That wasn’t the sound a catapult was supposed to make.

Her vision went white and she was knocked back. She landed hard on the wooden flooring – that was going to leave a few bruises – and looked around her. The catapult was going up in flames. And it had not even fired.

“Astrid!” she heard from down below. Looking over the edge, she saw Fishlegs slightly jumping up and down, trying to catch a glimpse of her. “Astrid, are you okay!?”

She groaned. Not this too. “Yeah, I’m fine!”

“Get down from there! The whole platform is going to burn!”

“I know, Fishlegs!” she grumbled as she scrambled to her feet. She grabbed her axe and ran down the watchtower’s stairs. Apart from the tower’s top and stairs, everything was made of stone; despite these… unfortunate circumstances, it would survive.

Back at the bottom of the tower, she was met by a concerned Fishlegs. “What happened up there?”

She angrily turned at him. “What does it look like, Fishlegs!? The catapult _exploded_.”

Fishlegs frowned. “That’s impossible, it must’ve been…” Suddenly his eyes went wide, looking past her. “Astrid, look out!”

She turned around, gazing at the tower. She had jinxed it with her thoughts. The tower’s base was now very much on fire. “ _What!?_ Stone doesn’t _burn_!”

Fishlegs jumped nervously from one foot onto the other. “I know Astrid, now let’s get out of here!”

She nodded, sprinting back towards Berk’s centre. She heard a deafening noise behind her and turned around to face it. At the edge of the village, the watchtower crumbled and collapsed neatly into the sea. It almost looked calculated. She had never seen any form of destruction like it. That tower had stood there for years.

Around her, other Vikings had momentarily put their murderous tendencies on hold as well, watching the spectacle with a mixture of fear and awe. A few of them ran towards it, hoping to salvage whatever was left; she knew it’d be futile and hurried after them to make sure no one would get hurt. Then, she heard another explosion.

It came from a different direction this time and echoed across the island. The harbour. She ran, a few others following behind her. As she got the harbour into view and watched their fleet of warships set ablaze, she realised what she’d heard hadn’t been echoes; it had been multiple blasts. She ran down as quickly as she could, but by the time she got to the ships, it was too late; most of them had already started to sink. She cried in frustration as she tried to salvage what she could, which wasn’t much. Finally sitting down on the docks amidst a pile of blunt swords and axes, she watched the bow of their biggest ship finally dip into the water. Six of their best war ships. Gone. Only a few smaller ones and their fishing ships remained. At least Stoick had been right about that. She took another, closer look. Never mind, a whole barrel of fish had gone missing too.

She balled her hands into fists and threw her axe into the nearest pole, barely missing Gobber’s head as he approached her. In the distance, the sun was starting to rise. Gobber put his real hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Astrid. The dragons are gone.” She let him lead her back up to the village centre. She gazed around; Berk lay in shambles. The Vikings that still had some energy in them were rounding up captured and slain dragons. Amidst the chaos, it looked like they’d hardly been able to make a dent in their numbers. This was the worst night they’d had in years.

She started to help out her fellow tribesmen, but was halted by the scream of a dragon. “What now,” she muttered as she spun around, looking at the direction the sound had come from. The arena. _Of course_.

In the distance, three Gronckles, a Monstrous Nightmare and a Zippleback flew off. He had done it again.

Somewhere in the village, she could hear Tuffnut shouting, in the most menacing tone of voice he could pull off. “Beware, _the Phantom of the Arena_!”

* * *

 

Later that morning, after most of the debris had been cleared, Stoick called a meeting in the Great Hall. Astrid had been working all morning, too tired and angry to sleep. She sat down next to Ruffnut, but refused to actually say a word to her sort-of-friend. After quieting things down Stock spoke up at the head of the meeting table. “So, I guess we can say that things did not go well last night.”

There were a few agreeing nods, followed by silence. This hadn’t been the first time a raid night had ended like this, but it was by far the worst one yet. Next to her, Ruffnut stirred. “Chief, I think everyone is on the same page about that _._ How about we actually start talking about this _Dragon Ghost_?”

Next to Ruffnut, Tuffnut stood up from his seat. “Yes, _the Phantom of the Arena!_ ” As much as Astrid hated to admit it, he had gotten quite good at making that phrase sound as spooky as possible.

Stoick shook his head, visibly agitated. “There’s no such thing as ghosts. Let alone a Phantom.” Astrid scoffed. Coming from the chief who’d named his son Hiccup to scare away trolls. Yet ghosts could not possibly exist. A pang of pain hit her. _Hiccup_.

Taking a deep breath, she stood up from her seat, drawing the Vikings’ attention. She started out as calmly as she could. “Indeed Stoick, ghosts do not exist.” Stoick eyed her warily. “But _something_ is picking us apart. This has been going on for nearly a year now and, quite frankly, I think you’re in denial.” The chief’s face hardened. Astrid stood up straight. She had to get this out of her system. It had been going on for too long. “It started with small things; weapons and supplies occasionally disappearing, distracting explosions here and there and of course, consistently releasing every damn dragon we catch from the arena. But last night, he, she, it, whatever it is, completely picked us apart.” She looked around, carefully taking the faces that made up her tribe. “It was thought out, it was effective, it was _methodical_ and _calculated_. Our catapult booby-trapped, our watchtower destroyed, our fleet…” She balled her hands into fists. “ _Ravaged_. So whatever it is that’s doing this to us, I highly doubt it’s a dragon. It’s too clever. So it’s either someone from the outside, or,” she took one more look at the faces that represented Berk. “Someone from the _inside_.”

She let the silence sink in, before turning back to Stoick. “So if you’re willing to let this person, this _Phantom_ , go freely, be my guest. But I won’t stand around and wait until he ends up killing one of us.” The memories from last night came back to her. “It almost killed me.”

Stoick looked back at her and asked, awfully serene: “What do you propose we do then, Astrid?”

She smiled. She’d had given this a lot of thought today. “Check _everything_. Don’t let any more of our equipment go unguarded or unchecked.”

Snotlout grunted from his seat. “That’s useless; he’ll just sabotage us in other ways. Explosions, fire, whatever. Come on Astrid, no one has ever even _seen_ this guy. He’s practically invisible!”

Stoick ignored Snotlout’s comments. “Go on, Astrid.”

She grinned at Snotlout. “I know this does not guarantee anything, but it’s a start. I’ll figure out where to go from there.”

Stoick nodded. “Alright then, we shall begin with that.” He looked around the table. “Fishlegs! You’re in charge of overseeing our weapon and equipment inspections.” Fishlegs’ face visibly lit up, only to be overcome with worry about his new responsibilities afterwards.

The meeting broke up and Astrid hurried towards Stoick, wanting to talk to him in private. He took her aside. “Yes, Astrid?”

She got to the point immediately. “Let me guard the arena.”

Stoick shook his head. “We need every Viking we can spare defending the village during the raids. I couldn’t be less damned about the dragons escaping; with the consistent reconstruction we have to do, no one gets around to dragon training anyways. At this point, we might even be better off just killing off every dragon rather than capturing any of them.”

“I know,” she agreed, trying to keep Stoick’s attention. “It’s not about the dragons, nor dragon training. But there’s one thing the Phantom” – the name still did not sound right to her; she didn’t deem her adversary worthy enough to give him a name – “always does: he frees the dragons. Regardless of what he destroys, or sabotages, he always goes for the captured dragons at one point or another. Traitor or outsider,” She saw Stoick’s face darken at the suggestion of a traitor in their midst. “That’s where we could catch him.”

Stoick let the suggestion dawn on him for a second and then nodded in agreement. “Alright then. Just make sure no one finds out. That could jeopardize your little scheme. In the meantime, Gobber and I will keep an eye on whether anyone goes missing in Berk during the night.”

She smiled at him. “Noted. I won’t let you down.”

Stoick slightly smiled back. “Be careful, Astrid.”

Stoick’s reassurance held close to her heart, she turned on her heel and walked out of the Great Hall. Her anger over the events of last night and her failure to prevent them turned into new resolve. _Dragon Ghost. The Phantom of the Arena_. No matter his name, she’d take him down. No doubt of it.


	2. Think Of Me - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In order to keep in touch with the Phantom of the Opera-inspiration, I've decided to name every chapter after a song in the musical! (I'm also very bad at coming up with chapter titles, so that solves that issue too).
> 
> Enjoy!

When creating her plan, Astrid had not taken into consideration just how extremely _boring_ guard duty was. With nothing but a Gronckle, two Deadly Nadders and a triple set of Terrible Terrors – which, despite not knowing exactly _how_ dragons reproduced, she really felt should be kept in separate cages – to keep her company, time went by utterly slowly. The arena itself wasn’t a very interesting place either; not much had changed since she’d first entered it to start dragon training. The iron caging that normally covered the arena to prevent any dragons from escaping had been destroyed by the Phantom many months ago and no efforts had been made to repair it. Capturing and containing some of the dragons had become more of a tradition than a logical thing to do at this point; no one had had time for dragon training ever since the Phantom started haunting them. Before that, Gobber had even made plans to and had started working on expanding the arena by digging another layer below the current one, but that project had been abandoned, with the arena restored to its former… glory. Berk’s short but enjoyable summer had just begun, so at least it wasn’t chilly. She got that going for her.

On the first night, she’d paced around the arena, axe in her hand, ready to attack at the sight of well, anything. But of course, nothing had happened. On the second night, she’d already put in less effort, only occasionally patrolling both the lower and upper ring. On the fifth night, she’d started considering releasing one of the Nadders to ease her boredom by sparring with it. Now, on the tenth night, she was sitting on the arena’s floor, slumped against one of its walls. Doing nothing exhausted her and she’d been having trouble sleeping during the day. Lousily, she traced the blade of her axe with her fingers. This was going nowhere. There had been no raids in Berk for over a week and even though the Phantom would occasionally visit them outside of those, it significantly lowered the odds of him making an appearance. She yawned as she saw the first light of the morning sun appear on the horizon. Curling up and making herself more comfortable, she closed her eyes. If she wanted to actually catch the Phantom, she’d probably need to come up with something more effective. Sure, she’d do that, tomorrow.

Her left ear felt wet and sticky. Something itched. Instinctively, she raised her hand to scratch it, but was met with a soft and sticky goo. “What the!?” Her eyes flew open and she looked at her hand. It was covered in… drool? Finally looking to her left, she stared right into a pair of big, yellow eyes. She screamed, hastily scrambling to her feet. The Gronckle reacted with a startled roar and backed away. As she readied her axe and looked at the dragon, the look in its eyes almost struck her as _fear_. Which simply wasn’t possible.

She ran at the beast, raising her axe, ready to strike or to parry any attack from the Gronckle. The Gronckle eyed her weapon and spread its wings. _Aha, ready to strike_ , she thought. But she’d be quicker. However, just before she could properly position herself to hit the Gronckle’s head, the dragon raised itself from the ground _and flew away_. She watched in confusion as she witnessed the Gronckle simply heading for the sea. That was odd. Usually Gronckles would come back around to hit you in the head with their tails, or to spit some lava on top of your newly polished helmet. But more importantly; how had the Gronckle gotten to her in the first place?

She spun around and finally laid eye on the dragons’ holding cells. Every single one was open. Heartbeat rising rapidly, she checked them. Every single one was empty. She yelled in anger, throwing her axe into the nearest cage’s door. Clearly, she’d fallen asleep. Pretty badly too, if she hadn’t heard _any_ of the cages being opened. And the Phantom had been waiting for her to screw up. _Of course_.

* * *

A few days later, Berk was raided once again. The damage was less bad this time around; Fishlegs and his team had managed to uncover yet another boobytrapped catapult right before it was about to be manned. At least someone was doing their job right.

The raid had allowed the Hooligans to restock the arena with dragons and, after a fierce discussion with Stoick – he obviously hadn’t been very happy about the _unfortunate circumstances_ in which their last pack of dragons had been released – she resumed her watch. In the days before, she’d managed to properly alter her sleeping schedule in such a way that she felt more awake at night. This time around, she’d get him.

Berk was not raided again for another week. During that week, there’d once again been no sign of the Phantom, and the dragons remained properly locked in their cages. She was not going to let her focus falter again, however. About midway through her watch, she heard Berk’s horns being blown. A raid was on its way. So he must be as well.

She increased her focus, trying her best to block out the sounds coming from Berk, so she could focus more on the arena and so she would not have to think about how she was currently leaving her tribe to fend for themselves. This was more important in the long run, after all. She knew that.

The raid took hours – despite her best efforts, the screams and explosions coming from Berk were still clearly audible – and when morning had almost come, part of her started to fear that the Phantom would not appear at all. She sighed. Hopefully her absence hadn’t caused too many casualties. She’d never forgive herself if someone had been hurt. Or worse. Guilt started to chip away at her, but suddenly, she heard a sound.

Her head snapped in the direction it’d come from. One of the cell doors was rattling. Normally, she’d dismiss it as one of the dragons suddenly becoming very displeased with Berk’s hospitality – they were usually very restless during raids anyways, but she knew that this particular cage was _empty_. How the Phantom was making it rattle from the inside she did not know, but she was going to find out.

Tiptoeing to make her approach as silent as possible, axe held high, she approached the cage. It rattled a few more times as she made her way over. She grabbed one of the arena’s torches and swiftly unlocked the cage. She opened one of its heavy doors and peeked inside. It was too dark for her to see very far into the cage, so she took a few steps forward, using the torch to light her surroundings. She heard a creaking noise and realised too late that it was coming from behind her. The door slammed shut and her axe landed into it – she’d made a futile attempt at lodging her axe between the doors.

“Son of a!” she screamed as she slammed her fists against the doors, after hearing the lock being put back into place. She looked around her, fully lighting the cage with her torch. Well, thanks to her, at least it was no longer empty.

* * *

The morning after had easily been the most embarrassing one she’d had to live through so far. She’d been met by a confused Gobber, who got her out of the cage and put a Monstrous Nightmare in her place – which was ironically exactly what last night had been like for her. Luckily, Gobber knew when not to ask questions and let her slump away to her home. Of course, he’d tell Stoick about what’d happened. After all, all of the dragons were gone. Again.

Back in her bed – luckily, her parents had long stopped asking questions too, after she’d reluctantly told them that she was “doing something for the chief” at night – she had trouble falling asleep. She’d spent most of the night semi-awake, leaning against the cell’s cold walls and now the thoughts of her failure would not let her go. He, she, the Phantom, whoever it was, had baited her and she’d fallen for it, like a fool. She had picked her brain all night but still could not understand how the Phantom had done it. She’d seen nothing or no one even remotely close to the cage and she was absolutely sure that the rattling had come from the inside. How had the Phantom gotten in there though? Or had he just made it sound like it came from in there? It did not make any sense.

Frustrated, she buried her head in her pillow. At least she now knew for sure that she was dealing with a human adversary; no dragon was this smart. She sighed. She had to be on top of her game. No more falling asleep, or falling into traps.

* * *

Back on guard duty that night, this time around Astrid had decided to watch the arena from the upper ring. This gave her a nice view of the whole area and allowed her to observe whatever went on up there and down below. No matter what happened, she’d stay at her post. Surely, if the Phantom wanted to free the dragons, he had to show himself at one point or another. Otherwise he’d never taken the trouble to lure her into the cage. He wanted to hide himself.

A few quiet nights went by and in order to keep herself busy, she’d patrol along the outside of the ring. The rhythm of her footsteps sounded somewhat soothing and getting a little exercise could never hurt. Even though the Phantom could clearly see she was there, there wasn’t exactly a place she could hide in without the Phantom easily noticing something was up; she’d have to drag something into the arena to hide under or behind. Therefore, this seemed like the best option for now. He’d probably try to outsmart her again anyways. Not that she was going to let him.

Occasionally, she looked out across the water, wondering if the Phantom arrived on Berk by boat – although she still had not ruled out the option of the Phantom being one of them. She knew that Stoick and Gobber were keeping an eye on things inside the village, to see if anyone suspiciously went missing during raids. That had yielded no results yet however. Which made sense; whoever they were dealing with was very clever. He probably wouldn’t be that obvious.

She heard the sound of a horn in the distance, followed by the thunderous roar of a Monstrous Nightmare. She gazed at Berk, watching a flock of dragons approaching. Tonight would be another short one for the Hooligans. She drew her gaze away from her soon-to-be-burning village and fixated her eyes on the arena. She had a job to do. As much as she liked to believe she could be a significant factor in mitigating the damage the dragons would do, she knew it’d only be marginal anyways; solving the mystery of the Phantom would be more vital in the end and she had to keep believing he was the key to resolving Berk’s problems. For good.

Lost in thought and eyes fixated on the arena, she kept circling around, ready to act at the first sign of any human or nonhuman activity. She tried to dampen the sound of her footsteps on the wooden planks sticking out of the cliff the arena was on, but the Phantom probably knew she was around anyways; at this point, he probably expected her to be there as much as she expected him to show up.

And her suspicions were soon confirmed; on what was probably the 5000nd lap she made that night, her next footstep on was suddenly met by a loud creaking noise. She tried to jump away, but the planks beneath her split before she could react. She fell as the wood gave away, sending her tumbling down Berk’s cliffs. Before she could scream, her body hit hard rock. The shoulder she landed on audibly cracked. The sound was sickening, the pain that followed nauseating. Eyes filled with tears, she looked around. She’d conveniently landed on a ledge just a few metres below the edge; any more further to the left or right and she would certainly have fallen to a painful death on the ocean surface. She examined the hole she’d fallen through; the support beam holding the planks in place had collapsed the moment she’d stepped on them. She curled up in pain as she heard their captured dragons fly away once again. He’d done this. Squirming in pain, she was almost sure she briefly heard the distinctive sound of a Night Fury. Funny. Berk hadn’t been raided by a Night Fury in five years.

* * *

She could feel Stoick the Vast's watchful eyes on her as Gothi took care of her fractured shoulder. He’d found her on the ledge when he came to check up on her at the end of her shift and had carried her back to Berk. She hadn’t had the courage to look him in the eye ever since.

“I’m sorry, chief,” she mumbled, eventually.

She heard Berk’s chief sigh. “What happened, Astrid?” She knew he trusted Gothi, so she could feel safe discussing it around her as well.

“I… fell?” she tried.

“I saw that. How did you manage to fall _through_ the platform though?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “From what I could see, the support beam failed.”

“I saw that too. And, let me put it this way, it was not due to maintenance issues.”

She grit her teeth. “He did this to me. The Phantom.”

They stayed quiet for a while as Gothi fixated her arm in a sling. She squirmed in pain. Even moving her shoulder a little hurt.

“You’re done, Astrid,” Stoick finally said.

For the first time since they’d gotten there, she looked at him. “What?”

“No more guard shifts at the arena. I will no longer allow them.”

She looked at her chief sharply. “Why not? I – we need to catch this guy!”

“And in this way, you never will.” Stoick looked at her sternly. “You’re on a wild yak chase, Astrid. First you fall asleep, then you get lured into a cage and now you almost let him kill you. You cannot charge into this head first.”

“It’s just a bump along the road! I’ll get there!” she looked at him, fire in her eyes. “I won’t let him get away with this.” She gestured at her shoulder with her good arm.

Stoick the Vast sighed, seemingly gathering what little patience he had left. “Astrid, believe me, I know how hard it is when you cannot just make things work out through sheer force of will.” His glare softened. “And I want to catch this guy as much as you. I’d help you myself if I could leave Berk during the dragon attacks. After all, the Phantom’s hurting my people. But if you continue like this, I fear he’ll kill you first. Today was close enough and we both know Berk’s lost enough already.”

He let his last comment hang in the air for a while. As hard as it was for her to accept, she did understand.

“Besides,” Stoick continued. “After your shoulder’s recovered, I could very much use your expertise to help us out during the raids.” His face cloudened.

“Things haven’t been good?” she asked.

Stoick shook his head. “Fishlegs and his crew have been trying their hardest but they just can’t keep up. The… Phantom” – Stoick seemed to struggle with the name too – “quite simply outsmarts us and, most concerningly, it almost seems like he can be in multiple places at once.”

She spoke before thinking her words through. “So you finally acknowledge he exists?”

He looked at her, scolding her with his eyes. “I always have, Astrid, I just didn’t feel the need to frighten Berk’s people any more than he already was. But ever since the night he destroyed the watchtower and our fleet, he’s gotten cocky, more arrogant.” He paused as he looked out across the village. “There’s not a single working catapult left, most of our capture nets have been burnt and any attempts to rebuild our fleet and tower are quickly thwarted.”

She frowned. “I didn’t know it was that bad.”

Stoick sighed. “It is, and the people of Berk are looking to me for an answer.” He almost looked desperate, Astrid noticed. “But I don’t have it. We were never able to find the dragon’s nest, but at least we were somewhat sure that existed! But this-” He gestured at nothing in particular with his big hands. “How do you catch a _ghost_?” The chief frowned. “I have people I trust everywhere, trying to trace his every step. But not a single lead.”

“And you still don’t think it’s one of us?” Astrid asked warily.

Stoick shook his head. “I know my people, and none of them are this devious. A real Viking does not fight from the shadows. And more importantly, a real Viking would _never_ side with the dragons.”

* * *

For once, Astrid had decided to actually listen to her chief and to let her shoulder heal. Annoyingly, it was her right shoulder that’d been injured and she’d never been very good at doing things with her left arm. The learning curve wasn’t very pleasant either, so she spent most of her days doing things a lot slower than she would like to. Berk was still rebuilding its fleet and its main watchtower and she did her best to help out where she could.

Stoick had not been wrong about the raids being worse either; with only one arm she could not do much more than put out fires, but even that was hardly manageable. The worst about it all was that all of Berk’s own efforts felt utterly futile; things would just randomly explode, turn to ash or completely disappear. Before, the dragons would take their livestock and most of the damage Berk itself sustained would be collateral; the Phantom consistently carried out targeted attacks however. It left many of Berk’s citizens with their houses damaged or destroyed. Astrid’s own house had luckily been spared up until now and was becoming increasingly more crowded with friends her family had offered a place to sleep to. It left her in a hassle during the day, trying to provide enough food and furs for their guests while also helping them figure out how their houses could be rebuild as quickly as possible.

One day, trying to catch a break, she found herself slumping down onto one of the stools in Gobber’s forge. She looked around the shop. She’d always liked coming here. Gobber usually knew what was going on, which saved her the trouble of having to do too much explaining herself.

The blacksmith himself came in not much later. He quickly noticed her. “Ah, Astrid! Here to have your axe sharpened?”

She smiled back sheepishly and gestured at her shoulder. “I would if I could actually use it.”

“Ah yeah, that must be tough on ya,” Gobber nodded before turning to whatever he’d come into the shop to do.

“I just wish there was something I could do to help,” she complained.

“I think you’ve done the best you could, lass.” Of course he instantly knew what she was talking about. “You can’t always solve everything.”

“But I want to,” she whined.

Gobber didn’t look at her as he fiddled around with one of Berk’s remaining working swords. “Then you have to either do something, or find a way to deal with the fact that you can’t.”

He knew as well as she did that the latter wasn’t an option for her. “But how?” she asked, desperately looking up at the ceiling as if the answer to all her troubles would soon come falling out of the sky.

“Don’t ask me! I’m just glad the shop’s been left untouched so far.” Gobber went through some of his drawers and shelves, intricately looking for something. “Although things do go missing all the time! Just when I need them.” He pulled out something that just looked like something iron to her. “I guess this’ll do,” he mumbled. As if suddenly remembering something, he pointed his hook at her. “Oh, and don’t ask Stoick either. Poor chief’s picking his own brain enough as it is, while coordinating the rebuilding at the same time.” Gobber shook his head as he turned back to his work. “Don’t know how the man does it.”

She nodded and stared off into the distance. Eventually, her eyes wandered to the corner of the shop that used to be the chief’s son’s. Given how busy Gobber was these days, his help would’ve surely come in handy.

“Hey, Gobber?” she asked after a while. The one-legged man looked up at her. “Do you not want to take on a new apprentice?” Some people may have considered her question to be too blunt, but direct had always been the way to go for her.

Gobber smiled wryly. “Why, Astrid? Interested?”

She shook her head and laughed. “No, that’s _way_ too technical for me! I’d rather swing an axe than make one. All the planning, the little details and techniques involved, it’s just…” She made a gesture that was meant to emulate her head exploding from the overload of information.

Gobber laughed at her. “Well it takes a special kind of soul, I’ll give you that.” He stared at Hiccup’s old workbench, almost nostalgic. “And there just aren’t many like that.”

She nodded. She’d known very little about Berk’s intended heir, but he’d always seemed like more of a thinker than a fighter. She could use some of that mentality herself right now. During her incredibly tedious recovery process, the Phantom had been on her mind consistently. What she’d tried so far, just watching the arena from different places, had not been good enough. Still, she believed the arena was the place to catch the Phantom; it was still the only place they knew he’d come to for sure. She just had to be more clever about it. But she _so much_ preferred executing a plan over making it. She spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about it while casually talking to Gobber, but in the back of her mind she could not help but feel hopelessly outmatched.

* * *

It’d been nearly two months before Gothi finally declared her shoulder to be fully healed. Astrid could not be happier that she was no longer forced to wear the sling, but the moment she picked up her axe again she noticed that the prolonged period of inactivity had not done her muscles and her strength any good. She had to work on that.

Even more so, she was relieved that people would finally stop looking weirdly at her and most importantly, that they would _stop asking her questions_. Her parents had not thought a lot of her injury; they were warriors like her and talking was not exactly her family’s strength. Besides, she’d come home with fighting-related injuries more often than not; even though this one had kept her out of the running for quite a while, it didn’t seem that much out of the ordinary. Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins had bugged her about it for a little bit as well, but after snapping _I fell_ at them often enough, they’d shut up. They had their own worries too, after all; Fishlegs was still trying to keep up the checks he did on Berk’s equipment, but was not able to prevent most of it from malfunctioning or being destroyed. The twins were finally faced an enemy that was more destructive than they were, which had thrown them off their game. Snotlout on the other hand spent most of his days pacing around Berk mumbling something about getting revenge, but she figured he had not been able to come up with a plan to catch their ghost either.

That afternoon, she found herself knocking on the chief’s door. She knew he was home – last night had been a rough one once again – and was met by a semi-grumbled “Who is it?”.

“It’s Astrid!”

She heard the chief get up and after a bit of fumbling, he opened the door. He looked her up and down. She noticed he looked tired and she could swear his beard looked more grey than before. “I see your shoulder’s healed,” he noted.

“Yes!” She smiled. “So, back to business.”

Stoick frowned. “Astrid, we’ve talked about this. You’re not risking your life again. Berk needs you, as a warrior.” He started to close the door again.

“Lock me up in one of the cages!” she blurted out. Stoick looked at her warily, and she gave him her best _sorry, this is all I could come up with but at least it’s something_ -look.

“We’ve already had to free you from one of the cages, and now you want us to lock you up in one _on purpose_?”

She nodded and looked at him, attempting to look as determined as possible.

Stoick looked back at her for a bit, his eyes demanding an explanation. “You see,” she started. “I figured, every time he’s tricked me, he knew I was there; I was watching him from somewhere and he used my position to catch me. But, if he doesn’t know I’m there and mistakes me for one of the captured dragons, he might just try to free _me_. And that’s when I’ll catch him!”

Stoick seemed to process the idea for a bit. “And what if he kills you?”

“I won’t give him the chance to.” She firmly gripped her axe to add some strength to her words.

Stoick stayed quiet for a moment, softly stroking his beard. “Fine,” he finally concluded. “But I’ll have some guards set up at the arena.” He pondered for a moment. “Surely, the Thorston twins are available…”

“No!” she interjected. “Then he’ll know something’s up and it’ll fail. Worst case scenario, he’ll kill them before he kills me. After all, no one but you, me, Gobber and maybe Gothi knows what I’ve been up to and what they could be up against.”

Stoick sighed deeply and pinched his forehead. “I’m not gambling with your life, Astrid. I’m your chief, and a chief protects his people.”

“But, chief,” she begged. “If we don’t catch him, how long will it be before he kills any of your people?” She looked her chief in the eye. “At least I make the choice myself.” She could see Stoick’s doubt on his face. “Plus, I’m your best warrior – if I can’t beat him, who can?” she concluded. Putting herself forward as Berk’s _best_ warrior was a bold move – some of its older men and especially Stoick himself could take that place as well – but Stoick and her both knew that she wasn’t far off from the truth.

She stayed quiet for a while as Stoick seemed to be making the trade-off in his head; potentially lose Astrid or wait until the Phantom’s trickery became lethal for one of Berk’s other citizens.

“Alright,” he finally concluded. “But I’ll get you in and out every night myself. And get your axe sharpened by Gobber. Just in case you need it.”

* * *

Every night from that one onwards, Stoick and Astrid executed her plan. He’d lock her in one of the empty cells before nightfall, and she’d crawl into the corner of the cell, axe held tight, ready to jump at the door as soon as it opened. She’d already started to swap her day-night schedule back around when she knew her arm was almost healed and therefore had no trouble staying awake at night. She was actually well-prepared this time around. It was still, of course, incredibly boring, and she felt guilty every time Stoick got her out in the morning and she had to break the news to him that she hadn’t made any progress. After a while, he stopped asking.

She’d stir at every sound; either the wind, or one of the actual dragons stirring in their cages. She sat there every night for a whole week without any result; even during one of the raids, the Phantom did not show up, nor did he free the other dragons. She figured he’d maybe finally found another village to haunt. Then, after two weeks of confined nightly solitude, she was suddenly startled by another kind of sound. It was deep and echoed through the whole cell. She could not track where it came from, but it was, with absolute certainty, a voice.

“And here I was, thinking you’d finally given up.”


	3. Think Of Me - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Managed to write this one down pretty quickly! Expect it to take a bit longer before the next update, as I will be on vacation. Please enjoy!

Her heart felt like it stopped for a moment. Her hands stiffened around her axe, the rest of her body followed. Her brain dialled back down to zero. She was still leaning against the cell's wall, her legs pulled up and slowly starting to cramp. She stared straight ahead at the darkness in front of her, forgetting how to blink.  _She had heard a voice_.

The sound had surprised Astrid too suddenly for her to be able to retrace its origin. Attempting to slowly restart her brain, she realized she had to immediately consider her options, before it'd be too late. She couldn't see anything; she had intentionally made sure there was no light in the cell in order to make her trap seem more realistic. The doors in front of her were still tightly shut; she would've heard them open, or seen the light from the torches in the arena fall into the cage. She considered getting up and searching the cell. If she heard him, he had to be in here, right? She listened for a breath, a sound of life, but was met by nothing but silence. Still,  _she had heard a voice_.

Getting up would probably only give her position away; if she didn't know where he was, maybe he didn't exactly know where she was either. He had definitely spoken to her however, so he knew she was there. Which meant that her plan had failed, but that was not her biggest concern right now.

A few minutes of silence – apart from the clear sound of her heartbeat, which pounded in her ears – passed and she started to wonder whether she'd even heard a voice at all. Were these guard shifts starting to drive her mad? Two weeks of a daily routine which consisted of sleeping and sitting in a dark dragon cage would probably not improve anyone's sanity, she figured. Maybe it'd been Gobber who'd come to pick her up instead of Stoick? And he thought she would've given up by now? Yet the voice had not sounded like the blacksmith at all. Besides, if Gobber had come to free her, he'd have opened the doors by now, right? In addition to that, she was pretty sure it couldn't be earlier than past midnight.

"I thought your  _unfortunate injury_  from two months ago would've been enough to make you stop, but I guess I was wrong."

The muscles in her body, which had slowly started to relax again, tightened up even more. The voice echoed through the cell, making her unable to locate its origin. Yet it sounded like it came from  _within_. She was sure of it.

She jumped to her feet, axe ready and slowly, tiptoeing, explored the cell. It wasn't big, and she knew from memory what it looked like. After shuffling around for a minute, occasionally softly touching the walls, she however had to conclude that, apart from her own presence,  _the cell was still empty_. She raised one hand, feeling her forehead and messing up her bangs. She had to be going insane. Either that, or the source of the voice had to be outmanoeuvring her. Another round through the cell again yielded no new results however.

"Sure, keep looking. You won't find anything."

That had definitely not been in her head. Definitely not. She pinched herself. Which definitely hurt.

"Just  _leave_. Have your chief release you at the end of the night, and don't come back."

She shook her head in the darkness, even though she had no clue if he was even able to see her. It was probably for the best if he wasn't, considering she was trembling on her feet. How was she supposed to deal with this? Out of all the scenarios she'd mentally prepared herself for, the Phantom actually  _talking_  to her had not been one of them. Most of them had been about fighting him. But how does one fight a ghost?

"I won't warn you again."

She twitched and spun around. Nothing still. She stamped her foot on the ground in frustration and buried her hands in her blonde locks. She wasn't going insane, but this was madness nonetheless. She picked her brain for a sensible course of action, but was met with nothing but a bottomless pit of hopelessness.

After the silence had seemed to have set back in, she slumped against one of the cell's walls. Knees pulled up against her chest, arms wrapped around them, she curled up defensively, hoping that'd been the last of him. And after what felt like an eternity alone in the darkness, it turned out to have been; as Berk's chief released her from the cell in the morning, she could not help but impulsively hug all of Stoick's vastness. After making a half-embarrassed excuse, she hurried back to her room, desperate to get some sleep and to wipe the events of last night from her mind.

Getting sleep proved to be difficult however. In bed, Astrid could not shake off the nightmare the past night had been. Every time she closed her eyes, what she could only assume was the Phantom's voice echoed through her mind.  _Just leave_. She hadn't paid much attention to what the voice had sounded like, but her consciousness had apparently registered it very clearly. It hadn't sounded familiar, although the echoing had probably slightly thrown off the pitch. The voice had been deep and clearly Norse, although almost uncannily so; like a bad impression, she realized. Laying on her stomach, she grinned into her pillow. A killer  _and_  a comedian. Just her luck.

Still, despite the nightmares he was currently causing her, she had to stay convinced that he was human. What else could he be, after all? She'd never been superstitious, and she surely did not believe in ghosts. He had to have been in the room with her  _somehow_ , even though it'd been nearly impossible for her to miss him in the cramped cell. Still, he'd somehow managed.

She slammed her fists into her pillow and let out a groan of frustration. She was Berk's most promising warrior, yet this  _person_  made her feel completely powerless. She was used to always being in power, always being in charge. Suddenly, an idea popped up in her mind. She smiled, finally starting to feel reassured enough to catch some sleep. No matter what he demanded, she wouldn't budge. She would not leave.

* * *

Exhausted from her lack of sleep but with newly found resolve, she returned to the arena the next evening. Stoick warily eyed her and the bag she'd flung over her shoulder, probably still recovering from her uncharacteristically emotional outburst of that morning. He didn't ask any questions as he locked her inside the cage once again. She could appreciate her chief's tactical silence.

Once properly locked inside the cell, she lit the torch she'd brought and got to work. She got the animal traps she'd stuffed her bag with and started to set them up. They weren't big, but they should be capable of grasping onto a human leg, which would be enough. Not much later, she retreated to her corner and took a satisfied look at her handiwork. No matter how quick and light on his feet the Phantom was, there'd be no way for him to dance around this setup. That still left the question unanswered as to how exactly he got in and out of the cell; but she'd have time enough to ask him that when his leg was tightly being grasped by one of her traps.

Content with herself, she dimmed her torch and settled back into her corner. Judging by her sense of time, the sun had probably just started to set on Berk. Her gut told her he'd be here tonight. It sent a shiver down her spine and a tremble through her bones. She'd catch him tonight.

Hours passed, but she did not falter. He'd be here. And surely, soon enough, she was startled by his voice.

"Are you really going to have me give you  _another_  last warning?"

She shook off her fears and smiled. Any minute now. Given how he'd seemed to enjoy taunting her the night before, she suspected he'd stay to play around this time as well.

A few minutes passed and the Phantom did not speak up again. For a moment, she feared he'd actually backed out. She could hear the winds blowing outside. Maybe the incoming storm had scared him away? Should she speak up to try to grab his attention? Then, suddenly, one of her traps audibly snapped shut.

She jumped to her feet with a wide grin on her face. She got him. She'd expected at least a scream of agony from him, but his pain would probably bring her enough satisfaction even without those sound effects. She quickly lit her torch so she could finally lay eyes on her nemesis.

The sight she was met with was not what she had expected. Her eyes darted around the cell, up to the ceiling and finally, down to the trap that'd been sprung. It was empty. Just like the rest of the cell.

Crying out in anger and frustration, she kicked her foot against one of the other traps, making it slam shut from being thrown off-balance. She threw her axe into the nearest stone wall; it bounced back and clattered down onto the floor. Tears of anger welled up in her eyes.

Then, the cell was filled with a harrowing sound.  _He was laughing at her_. It was the kind of villainous laugh she'd only ever heard people do when sharing scary campfire stories. Those had never frightened her, but this one did. It echoed off the cell's walls and resonated inside her brain. She closed her hands over her ears and slumped to the floor, attempting to shut the sound out. There, on the ground, she spent the rest of the night as her torch slowly went out and made it so she was surrounded by darkness again, accompanied by nothing but the Phantom's manic laugh inside her head.

* * *

Mentally and physically exhausted, Astrid arrived late for her next shift the following day. The chief of Berk looked at her, worried. He had not asked her anything when she'd come out of the cell that morning, spirits down, eyes red and swollen. She had not wanted to talk about it, and she still did not. Admitting defeat had never been her strong point.

"Are you alright, Astrid?" Stoick finally asked her.

She did what she could to bring a smile back onto her face. "Yeah, I'm just tired. All those nights in the dark, doing nothing, they can be a bit taxing on the mind."

The chief's expression remained concerned. "If you want to call it quits, that's okay."

She shook her head. She could not quit now. "I won't quit before I get any result at all."

Stoick nodded, seemingly satisfied with her decision and closed the cell's double doors after she got in. She could hear the lock-mechanism fall into place behind her. As much as she wanted to tell Stoick what was actually going on, she felt too insecure to share with anyone that she'd started to fear that the Phantom was actually a ghost. That that had slowly started to seem like the most logical explanation to her by now. She smiled wryly to herself. Funny how one's beliefs can suddenly be turned upside down like that.

She lit the torch she'd brought with her today and took one more look around the cell. She'd cleared the traps out at the end of the previous night; they'd proven useless. Even after examining the sprung trap multiple times, she was sure there was nothing in it and that there never had been anything in it; there had been no blood spats on it, or any other tracks for that matter. Which made the whole situation even more spooky; the traps hardly ever malfunctioned on their own and it was extremely unlikely that one had just when it'd been convenient for the Phantom. She'd double checked all of them after all.

The cell itself had been created by hollowing out the cliff the arena lay on and was therefore composed of the same kind of hard rock. It'd gone dirty over the years and some of the stone had started to crack. Running her fingers across the wall, she noticed that some of the cracks had gotten deep enough for her to stick one or two of her fingers in. Nothing to worry about right now; the construction would likely hold on for many more years, but she made a mental note of the fact that they would likely have to do repairs at one point or another. Either way, nothing supernatural was going on with those.

She sighed as she began to run her fingers along the cracks in the floor, attempting to kill time. She did not really know how to move on from here. The Phantom, if he was even human, was playing around with her and was clearly not going to be caught. How many more nights of confined solitude would it take her to convince herself that she was never going to catch this guy? That, for the first time in her life, she might actually have to give up on something because she was completely outmatched? She did not have the faintest clue of how the Phantom was even  _speaking_  to her, nor of how to start figuring out his tricks.

As if reading her mind, the Phantom's voice suddenly surrounded her, preceded by what sounded like a heavy sigh. "How much more do I have to humiliate you for you to actually give up?"

He was early tonight, she realized. Even though she'd been late to arrive at the arena, it couldn't be long past sunset. Sitting there, crouched on the floor, still tracing the cracks with her fingertips, she realized there was one thing she had not tried yet. Talking back.

She smiled to herself before answering. "I think you'll have to kill me for that to happen." She bit her tongue, trying to supress the question that'd been on her mind. After the Phantom stayed quiet for a few minutes however, she let it slip after all. "Why haven't you yet? You know, killed me?"

"I'm not a killer," the Phantom replied, softer than usual.

Now it was her turn to laugh at him. "Are you serious? You're  _not_  a killer?"

"As far as I can remember,  _I_ haven't killed anyone." The way the Phantom stressed the 'I' and had raised his voice unsettled her, as if he was telling her that they were opposites in that sense. He was wrong though. She'd never killed a person. "And, just so you know, my life would've been a lot easier if I'd killed you, but I'd like to remind you that I didn't."

She got back up to her feet, glaring angrily at the room around her. "Well you surely gave it your best shot!"

"Please. If I'd wanted to you to die, I would've sabotaged another one of the supporting beams. I simply wanted to scare you off." The Phantom paused for a second as she took in his words. "However, that clearly did not work."

She wasn't sure of what to think of the Phantom's confession. In a way, he was right; had he let her fall off the cliff at any other place, she would've certainly ended up dead. Then again, maybe it had just been an oversight on his part, which he now tried to spin in his advantage?

"But hey, at least you're talking back to me now! I guess we can consider that as progress." There was a sense of humour in his voice that she could not appreciate.

"And what do you expect me to say now, then? Do you want me to  _thank_  you for not killing me?" she bit back.

"It was my pleasure." Oh, how she hated the way he taunted her.

"Please leap off a cliff."

"I reckon you're better at that than I am."

She grunted and threw the torch she was still holding against the wall opposite of her. It bounced back and pathetically landed on the floor, and its light quickly died out afterwards. Great, now she was mentally  _and_ physically completely in the dark.

"What did the wall ever do to you?" the Phantom teased.

"You know what!?" she yelled at the room around her. "You think you're being all clever, but I  _will_  hunt you down and kill you!" She had to get the anger out that'd been building up inside her over the past days.

The Phantom seemed unimpressed at her outburst. "Don't pretend you know how. Stop wasting your time."

"I will not let you keep terrorizing my village," she grumbled.

"And I will not let your village keep slaughtering innocent dragons," he stated bluntly, as if it was common sense.

She'd never heard a statement that idiotic. "Innocent!?" she bit back.

He plainly ignored her."That puts us at kind of a stalemate, I suppose." As she was about to open her mouth in reply, the Phantom continued. "So let me propose a deal: I free the dragons that are still imprisoned here, you go back to whatever you normally do  _and_  you get the pleasure of not having to deal with me one-on-one again."

She smiled and nearly spat out her words. "And why in Thor's name would I take  _that_  deal?"

"Because, like I said earlier, you're just wasting your time here. I'd almost pity you if you weren't planning on killing me."

She angrily waved her hands around at the dark room, wishing she could hit the Phantom's voice right in its jaw. She didn't like him telling her what she subconsciously already knew. "Why are you such a coward? Why don't you just fight me one on one, like a  _real_  Viking? Are you afraid you'll lose?"

She'd attempted to finally taunt him back, but the Phantom didn't seem impressed in the slightest. "First of all; I'm not a Viking," he retorted. "Secondly, I could  _easily_  take you in one-on-one combat, but like I said, I'm not a killer."

She rolled her eyes, ignoring his jab at her presumed skill. "Stop saying you're not a killer. I'm not quite stupid enough to believe that."

"May I remind you once again that I have not killed  _any_  of your people, while your people have killed  _thousands_  of mine!?" The Phantom's near-thunderous shouts sent her staggering back as she cursed at herself for relaxing slightly and letting her guard down.

"Your people?" she stammered.

"Yes,  _my_ people," the Phantom bellowed back. "The dragons you mindlessly kill out of vengeance and spite." The way he sounded made her imagine he was practically spit out the word 'spite'.

"Oh and we surely have  _absolutely no reason_  to feel that way!" she spit back, regaining her footing. "For generations those  _beasts_  have mutilated and killed the people of Berk, and you're surprised we retaliate?"

"They only fight to defend themselves! Because  _you_ attack them!"

"Only defend themselves  _my ass_! They steal  _our_   _food_!"

"They only do that because they have to!" the Phantom nearly screamed, their shouting match reaching a new volume.

"Once again, I'm not stupid, you –"

"Shut up!" Before she could tell him what she thought of his ideas, he effectively interrupted her. "I am  _not_ discussing this with you, because you quite simply don't understand! None of you Vikings do! You don't know  _anything_  about dragons!" As his shouting echoed through the cell, Astrid took a few steps back and leaned against the wall behind her, wondering if it could somehow protect her. She'd clearly struck a nerve and for a moment, she did not know how to respond. Then the Phantom continued, at a lower volume, seeming like he'd regained his senses: "There is a queen. She makes them do it. The dragons, they – if they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves."

Their argument paused for a moment as she processed his words. Berk had always had its suspicions about a dragon nest existing, and had searched for it for a very long time, but they'd never considered it'd have a queen as well. However, there was no way to know if the Phantom was telling her the truth or that he was simply making up a story as justification for his own actions.

"I don't believe you. And even if I did, then shouldn't your quarrel be with this queen you're talking about?" she finally replied.

"It is, but things are simply not that easy. And if I can prevent a dragon from suffering a gruesome and terrible death on Berk, I will." The Phantom paused for a moment and when he resumed, his voice sounded a lot softer. "Dragons are kind, magnificent creatures. Under normal circumstances, they'd never hurt or even lash out at anyone, unless provoked."

She let out some air, which was supposed to be a silent laugh. "You're a delusional madman." She could not believe a word he told her about the beasts that were the source of her village's nightmares.

The Phantom stayed quiet for a while, as if he actually had to think over his next sentence. Maybe her insult had thrown him off?

After a minute or so, he finally spoke. "Would you believe me if I showed you?"

That took her aback and she could not think of any other reply than simply asking: "What?"

"A different deal. I still free the dragons – you treat them absolutely terrible and I'm not letting that stretch out any longer. Don't worry, I'll close the cells again afterwards so your chief won't find out – and you spend the rest of your night here doing whatever you usually do, but, instead of never getting to enjoy my company again, if you come back tomorrow, I will show you why I'm right about dragons."

As she was about to throw an insult back into his invisible face, he interrupted her once again. "And before you open your mouth: this is the only alternative offer you're going to get. Take it, or leave it. And I know you'll take it. You don't have another option."

She grit her teeth as she thought the Phantom's proposal through. She wanted to reject it  _very badly_ , but he was right; he had spiked her curiosity and she simply did not have another option left except for completely backing out. She hated him. So much.

After what felt like a good minute in which she attempted to swallow her pride, she finally managed to get the damned word across her lips. "Fine."

She could obviously not see the Phantom, but she imagined him smiling widely off the back of his triumph. "Well then, it was a pleasure talking to you. I'll see you tomorrow. Bring some fish – no eel – and oh, before I forget – if I spot any of your fellow warriors as much as come close to the arena, I'll burn your whole village to the ground. Just so we're clear on that."

She bit back the urge to react to his threat. She'd not take the bait this time around.

"Enjoy your night," the Phantom concluded, letting the room go silent once again. He kept his word and did not bother her again for the rest of the night; towards the end of it, she did hear the sound of the other cells opening and closing. She herself spent most of the night wondering what she'd gotten herself into and whether it might be better for her to back out of their agreement. But she knew just as well as he seemed to that she'd be there the following night, despite not knowing what exactly would be waiting for her.

* * *

By the time the next evening came, Astrid could not help but feel like a nervous wreck. She'd given herself a very low-quality manicure by biting off some of her fingernails and sleep had been hard to catch during the day. Which was absurd. She had hardly ever been nervous for anything in her entire life.

Her conversation with the Phantom had been absurd as well; the way he'd consistently bounced between friendliness and hostility was unsettling in the least; she felt like she'd occasionally seen glimpses of someone who was actually nice to talk to. And now he was going to show her that dragons were not what she knew for sure they were. What was she supposed to expect from that? At least her suspicions of the Phantom being an actual ghost had been a little more quiet after their seemingly very human talk of last night – ignoring the fact that there had not been a human body attached to the voice. Maybe he would actually show himself tonight?

This time around, she made sure to arrive at the arena in time in order to get Berk's chief out of the way as quickly as possible; she did not want to risk the Phantom actually following up on his arson threats. She'd followed his orders and had brought a bag of fish – no eel – with her and sincerely hoped Stoick would not smell it; she wasn't far enough past her own uncertainty and confliction to share the events of the past nights with him. And if she did tell him he'd probably declare her to be mad; she'd do the same if anyone came to her with a story like hers. She was essentially putting her life in Berk's number one enemy's hands. But if she'd seen a better course of action, she would've opted for that any day. Getting to know the Phantom and his convictions might bring her one step closer to the truth. At least, that's how she tried to reassure herself.

As she settled back into the cell and watched its doors close in front of her she realized that the Phantom had given her no indication of  _when_ exactly he'd show up. Fearing that it could be hours before he did, she took up her familiar position in the corner against the wall, waiting for whatever was to come. It felt wrong not to be the one who took initiative and to let someone else control her fate.

After a few hours, his voice finally released her from her boredom. "Good evening. I can't believe you're actually here." Although the Phantom still spoke rather weirdly, he did sound friendlier this time around.

She stretched, her muscles having gone stiff while she waited. "I told you you'd have to kill me before I'd quit."

"That you did. Still sure you want to go through with this?" Such a gentleman, actually asking her if she was fine. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't exactly know what I'm going through with. But like you said last night, it's not like I have a lot of other options." She made sure not to sound too friendly. She hated him after all.

"You'll see soon enough. But I'd propose we do not drag things out for too long. You brought the fish?"

She nodded at the darkness before realising that she did still not know if he could actually see her. "Yes."

"No eel?"

She rolled her eyes at his suggestion of incompetence. "No eel."

"Alright. Take off all your weapons and put them on the floor."

She pulled up an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Safety measures."

"Sounds more like a death trap to me," she retorted as she reached for her axe.

"Once again, I'm not a killer. We either do this my way, or no way at all. Make up your mind," the Phantom grunted, seeming to have lost his good mood.

She groaned as she started to unstrap her axe from her back and her dagger from her hip. "Fine."

As the sounds from her preparations died out – she made sure to put her weapons in such a place and position that she could easily reach them, in case he was luring her into a trap, which she still suspected he was – the Phantom continued. "What can I call you, by the way?"

"Astrid," she grumbled. She didn't see much merit in lying about her name. She wasn't very attached to it and he'd only have to listen in on one conversation with Stoick to figure out she lied, if he hadn't already.

"Well then, Astrid…" The Phantom paused as she could hear the lock of her cell move out of place. Carefully, she pushed open the doors and stepped back out into the dimly lit arena, expecting to finally lock eyes with the Phantom. She gasped as she witnessed what was actually in front of her however, and regretted every decision she'd made in her life thus far.

"… allow me to introduce you to my dragons."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wanting a bit more of an idea of what the Phantom is supposed to sound like, please refer to Hiccup's impersonations of his dad in HTTYD1 and HTTYD2 ;)


	4. Think Of Me - Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kind comments and kudos so far! This one took a bit longer to write, but I hope to keep updating at least once every two weeks. Please enjoy!

Right in front of her eyes, standing casually in the middle of the arena, were not one, not two, not three, but  _four_ dragons. Four hungry, malicious, bloodthirsty dragons. She'd walked straight into a trap.

She cursed underneath her breath as one of the dragons, a Deadly Nadder, started to approach her. Astrid spun around on her heels quicker than she ever had before and made her way to the cell to get to her weapons, hoping to give herself the best possible shot at getting out alive. She heard a whistle echo through the arena and came to a slipping halt as her path was blocked by a Monstrous Nightmare, who slammed the door shut with its claws before assuming a predatory position. She looked over her shoulder and to her sides. The four dragons – a Deadly Nadder, a Gronckle, a Zippleback and of course the Monstrous Nightmare – had her completely surrounded. There was no way for her to fistfight her way out of this. The only thing she might still be able to influence at this point was  _how_  exactly she'd die; by letting one dragon kill her over the other.

Just as she'd decided to approach the Zippleback to see if it would just blow her to pieces and get it over with, the Phantom spoke. "I thought I'd said no weapons, Astrid."

She'd almost forgotten she had actually expected to find the Phantom in front of her, but there was once again no trace of him. His voice was still clearly hearable however. "And I thought you said you weren't a killer," she bit back, trying not to let her fear shine through in her voice.

"First of all; you're too trusting. Secondly; indeed, I'm not a killer," the Phantom 'reassured' her. "Calm down, they won't lay a claw on you. Unless I tell them to, of course." She warily eyed the dragons. They did seem to stay put, for now. They were clearly watching her however. "Although the Nightmare can be a bit rebellious from time to time. So no promises." She spun around and looked at the Nightmare. She could swear it smiled at her as she heard the Phantom laugh in the background. "Gods, relax, if you're  _trying_ to entice them, looking like you're about to shit yourself is certainly a very good way to do it. If that's your goal, be my guest, but don't expect me to clean up your blood spats afterwards."

The Phantom had certainly mastered the art of saying something reassuring  _and_ threatening at the same time, which she found deeply frustrating. "Then what exactly do you expect me to do instead?" she bit back.

"Just sit down. On the floor or against the wall or something, whatever you like."

"And make myself an even easier target?"

"Stop being so difficult," the Phantom snapped. He did not have to threaten her this time around; the tone of his voice made his intentions clear enough.

Astrid took a deep breath and slowly took a few steps towards the edge of the arena. The Nadder she would have to pass to get there cocked her head at her and leaned forward. She'd always known dragons were huge, but had never considered their size threatening; without her trusty axe at her side however, the Nadder looked terribly intimidating. If it'd even as much as peck her, that'd give her a big scar to add to her collection. Her thoughts made her stop dead in her tracks as she carefully looked back at the beast, its yellow eyes still peering at her.

"Just get on with it, she'll let you pass," the Phantom remarked impatiently. "She just feels she has to make sure you won't do anything funny."

Doubting whether to trust the Phantom's words but not seeing another alternative, Astrid took another deep breath and carefully shuffled past the Nadder. The Phantom was right; the dragon kept its eyes fixated on her but did not move from her spot. She nearly gasped as she finally reached the arena wall, slumping down against it and letting the tension leave her muscles. Feeling a bit uncomfortable with four pairs of dragon eyes still steadily on her, she pulled up her legs and wrapped her arms around her knees, as if that would hide her from their piercing gazes.

"And what now?" she asked. "You were going to show me that 'you're right about dragons'. All I've seen so far is that you've apparently found a way to control them. Bravo." Talking back smartly was the only weapon she had left at this point.

"I'd hardly say I  _control_ them, but of course I've taught them some manners. Just sit back; you're new, they'll lose interest eventually."

Impatient, she tried to make herself more comfortable. She still did not have any clue where this was going, but as she relaxed, the dragons seemed to as well and took their eyes off of her. The Nightmare yawned lazily and made itself comfortable on the floor, stretching out its gigantic wings and laying its head on its claws, still blocking the way to the cell doors with its enormous posture. She watched as the dragon contently closed its eyes. She hadn't been the only one watching; the Zippleback sneaked over, both of its heads grinning deviously before breathing gas on the napping dragon's face and igniting it as soon as the Nightmare opened its eyes in response. The Nightmare retorted by lighting itself on fire and growling softly, which seemed to be enough of a warning to make the Zippleback back off. Meanwhile, the Gronckle just waddled around, occasionally curiously licking the arena's stone walls, seemingly not bothered by what was going on around him. The Nadder had a similar attitude and had stayed in her spot, where she was now carefully grooming her scales. Despite the arena not being very well lit and its torches throwing weird shadows, she could see the Nadder clearly took good care of herself; she was beautiful, and she knew it. She felt a very soft smile appear on her face as she studied the dragon's blue and turquoise scales, slowly moving her eyes towards its tail, which was covered in blue and golden spikes. They reminded her of the first time she'd fought a Nadder, right here in Berk's arena.

Then, it dawned on her. She took another close look at the dragons; she had never paid a lot of attention to the dragons she fought during her training, but they resembled them too much for her not to notice. And especially for it to be a coincidence. She finally pointed her eyes at the resting Nightmare. That was  _Hiccup's Nightmare_.

"These are Berk's dragons," she finally stammered. Memories of the first time the Phantom had struck Berk came back to her. At the time, they'd still thought it was merely an incident. "The ones  _you_  released at the beginning of last year's summer."

"Indeed they are. I was wondering if you'd recognise them."

"Of course I do, I –" She quickly stopped herself, not sure whether dragon training would be the most suitable topic of conversation. "They'd been here since I was fifteen," she continued instead.

"Well, that explains why they were so extremely malnourished and weak when I finally got them out. You keep dragons locked up for  _years_ , yet you claim they're the monsters, not you?" She bit her lower lip, intending to snap back, but the Phantom pre-emptively interrupted her. "That is, I'm assuming you're no longer fifteen, but I've been taught never to ask a woman's age."

"I just turned twenty last month," she snapped, annoyed at whatever he was insinuating. She was very clearly  _not_ fifteen! Realizing she'd let him distract her from the actual topic, she continued: "And it's not like we didn't feed them, but we're not exactly keeping dragons as pets either."

"Oh, I figured that much," the Phantom snapped. "It's a miracle they didn't die to your village's absolute incompetence."

She once again laid eyes on the Nightmare. It should've been dead, but Stoick had never been willing to give anyone else – to give her – the honour of killing it; that honour was reserved for Hiccup only, even though the chief's son had not been able to claim it to this day. And he never would be. Which had ironically saved that Nightmare's life.

"So of course from your perspective, you're a hero," she remarked bitterly.

"Heroes don't exist. If doing the humane thing by freeing them and getting them back in good shape makes me a hero, the bar for heroism among Vikings is set remarkably low." It had not escaped her attention how the Phantom was consistently weaving jabs at either her or her people into the conversation. "I've done that for every dragon you captured and will continue to do so."

"Until when?" she asked, attempting to understand their nemesis' thoughts.

"Until you realize that I'm right, or that you simply can't defeat me."

"Well, in case you didn't know yet, Vikings are pretty stubborn."

"Then that's something we have in common."

She didn't reply, letting the unspoken 'I guess we'll see who can hold out longer then' hang in the air. She looked back at the dragons, who were still minding their own business. The Gronckle had waddled closer to her, its big eyes watching her from a distance. Oddly enough, she didn't feel very threatened.

"But if you've allegedly 'saved' so many dragons, why did you bring these particular four to prove whatever point you're trying to make?" Any information she could get from the Phantom could prove useful. Luckily, he seemed to be eager enough to talk.

"They're the first ones I saved and the ones I trust the most. They're my lieutenants."

She snorted. "Your lieutenants?  _Sure_. And I suppose you have an army too?"

"Who says I don't? Maybe  _I_ am the one who attacks Berk, and my story about a queen that controls the dragons was a lie, made up so you would trust me."

"I still haven't rejected that option either. But you can't threaten someone with nothing to lose. Besides, what could you possibly even gain from me trusting you?"

"That'd be my secret."

"You're nothing but secrets."

Silence followed after that, the Phantom seemingly having run out of smart comebacks, or simply refusing to continue their argument. She was still watching the dragons as they fumbled around and played with each other. From this angle, they really did not seem as bad as they did when they were pillaging her village. Still, it was too early for her to start to believe there was any truth in the Phantom's words. She still felt as if he was mostly just playing around with her.

After watching the dragons for what felt like nearly an hour in which they still hadn't made any move that'd seemed even a little threatening towards her, the Phantom finally broke his silence. "Are you convinced dragons are not mindless killers yet?"

"No," she replied. "But these ones don't seem like they're about to eat me," she admitted.

"Well, I'll take that. It's something." She could almost sense a smile in the Phantom's voice, which had managed to maintain its weird Viking impression throughout the whole night. At this point she was starting to wonder whether that might be his actual voice. "So, would you like to feed them?"

Her mind shot back to the bag of fish still in the cell and her eyes to the teeth of the Nightmare still relaxing in front of it. She had scars on her body that could prove she'd felt the 'gentle touch' of a dragon's teeth before and she was not looking forward to repeating that experience.

"He'll let you pass if you ask nicely. Unless you're  _scared_  of course," the Phantom followed up.

She grit her teeth and got up to her feet. "I'm not scared, just unarmed," she bit back. Trying her best to ignore the three other dragons, she marched towards the Monstrous Nightmare. As it heard her footsteps approach, the dragon lazily opened one of its eyes and acknowledged her presence by not moving an inch. She turned her head to the side, not wanting to admit she was afraid to look the beast directly in its eyes. "Please?" she tried, her voice a near-whisper.

When she finally did find the courage to look at the Nightmare, she met both of its eyes, patiently gazing back at her. Taking a deep breath, she faked a smile. "I'll give you some fish if you move?"

She hated how that statement had sounded like a question and could faintly hear the Phantom laugh. Luckily, the dragon seemed to have understood her and  _very slowly_  got up and moved out of the way. She found herself taken aback by that fact for a moment – that he'd understood her.

She quickly got into the cell and grabbed the bag of fish – briefly eying her axe, but deciding against taking it with her. If the Phantom was right, the dragons would not attack unless provoked. And bringing a battle-axe with her would very likely be interpreted as provocation. And even with one axe, she would not stand a chance against four dragons. The best she'd be able to hope for was taking one of them down with her.

When she walked back out, the dragons' heads immediately turned at her – they could probably smell the fish. "Just drop it on the floor, they'll serve themselves" the Phantom ordered. As soon as she obliged, the dragons rushed towards her – or to the nice collection of fish she'd brought them – and she intuitively jumped back. Realizing the dragons were nowhere near interested in her, she moved back to the wall she'd sat against earlier and was welcomed there by the Gronckle, who had stayed put instead of rushing for the fish.

"Doesn't he have to eat?" she asked the empty air. It was still hard to get used to talking to someone she couldn't see. She quickly corrected her thoughts. She was not going to get used to this.

"She," the Phantom corrected her, as if she should be able to make out a dragon's gender. "And no, she ate before coming here. Gronckles prefer to eat rocks. They're, like, portable and cuddly forges. Pretty cool, if you ask me."

"I guess so," she murmured, taking in the large stubbles on the Gronckle's hide.

"You can pet her if you want to."

She smiled wryly at the suggestion. "No, I'm good, thanks."

She sat back against the wall, keeping the Gronckle a few metres away from her, and watched the dragons eat. The Zippleback's two heads seemed to be fighting each other over one particular salmon and the Nadder had quickly snatched a few larger cods away for herself. "By the way, why did you say no eel?" she suddenly remembered.

"Dragons are afraid of eels."

The deadpan way in which the Phantom had stated that made her burst out laughing. "What!?" The notion sounded absolutely absurd.

"I know, it's ridiculous. Honestly, building giant eel statues would probably be the key to defending your village until eternity," the Phantom laughed with her. "Don't get any ideas though,  _most_  dragons are smart enough to tell the difference."

"I'll make a mental note of it nevertheless," she replied, trying to supress the giggles brought on by the thought of Berk being filled with gigantic eel statues. As their communal laughing died out, she turned back to watching the dragons and found herself increasingly intrigued by the creatures, even though they weren't even doing anything particularly interesting. Maybe that was the intriguing part about it; that they weren't. She was used to only ever meeting dragons in combat situations, where it was either her or them. But here they hardly even acknowledged her presence and it was hard for her to imagine that these were the same dragons as the ones she'd fought in the arena many years ago. She wondered if they'd recognized her as well, but she did not want to deal with the judgement the Phantom would bring down upon her if she asked him; he was belittling her often enough already. If the dragons had recognized her however, they clearly did not hold any grudges. She felt conflicted to admit to herself that she could not say she would've felt the same way, had their positions been reversed.

Hours passed in which she did not exchange any words with the Phantom; he just occasionally told off one of the dragons – usually the Zippleback – when they were getting a little  _too_  playful. He had a way of doing so that was both friendly and strict at the same time, which surprised her. She also noticed she did not even mind when the Gronckle occasionally waddled closer to her – the creature was still very intrigued by the walls of the arena, but she figured the stone was too hard for him – her – to take a bite out of.

Eventually, she noticed the night sky start to lighten. She sighed, woken up by reality. "I should probably get back in my cell," she stated, quite sure the Phantom was still around.

He answered her soon enough. "You don't feel like sharing your experiences with your chief?" So the Phantom knew Stoick got her in and out every night.

"I don't think he'll be very fond of your  _lieutenants_ ," she said as she got up, patting her clothes to get the dust off and stretching her stiff muscles.

"And how do you feel about them?"

She stumbled for a moment as she took one more long look at the dragons while making her way to the cell. "They don't seem too bad," she admitted. "But, before you celebrate your victory; these are just four dragons you've apparently managed to make docile. This does not prove in any way that you're right about all dragons."

"But you admit that I potentially could be?"

She bit her lower lip. "Maybe."

"I'll take that as a victory, thank you very much."

She shook her head in disbelief while the Phantom continued: "You're free to see for yourself with pretty much any wild dragon."

"No, thank you. I'd like to stay alive."

"You're curious, though." She froze. How had he managed to read her that well? "I could see the smile on your face."

"I used to think you were frightening, but you're actually just _incredibly_  annoying," she snapped, refusing to tell him he was correct.

"Don't make me lose my good mood. I'll gladly prove you wrong." She noticed the tone shift in the Phantom's voice and swallowed nervously. "But, as our agreement of tonight seems to be coming to an end, please allow me to make you a new offer: you either bugger off and never show your face here again – please pass that message on to Berk as well, I'd gladly see everyone leave this godforsaken island –  _or_ I can teach you more about dragons."

She considered the two options in her head. The first one would change her mission status to completely failed and she'd be back to watching her village be meticulously destroyed while they struggled to take even as much as an inch back from the Phantom; despite his uncharacteristic friendliness of tonight, she had to remind herself of the fact that he was, above all, their enemy. He'd hurt her, had destroyed her village's fragile infrastructure, had nearly killed a few of Berk's people and had allowed the dragons to take as much from Berk as their hearts desired. She had to play nice so he'd play nice; this person was not someone she could ever consider a friend. The second option however would give her the opportunity to keep the Phantom occupied and to learn more about his views on dragons and on what he seemed to believe was his duty. Maybe he'd actually let something slip that'd help them in taking him down. Still, she wondered why he was even making these proposals in the first place. What could he possibly gain from this?

After some deliberation, the choice seemed logical, even if it meant associating herself with the enemy. She reassured herself that Stoick would understand, although the voice in the back of her head told her that despite that, she could not tell him. Not yet. "I'll take option two."

"As expected. Well, because I'm so incredibly cooperative, I'll let you choose which dragon I'll bring with me; I'm not risking putting all four this close to a village that kills on sight again. So, choose wisely."

She took another look at the dragons. Hiccup's Nightmare brought back too many unwelcome memories, and the Zippleback seemed like an obnoxious handful more than anything else. With butterflies in her stomach at the thought of a one-on-one session with a dragon, she pondered the sight of the remaining two. "The Gronckle seems friendly," she finally decided.

"One Gronckle for milady it is then," the Phantom joked.

"Don't call me that," she snapped before finally retreating into the cell. No one had the right to call her that, let alone the Phantom.

"I'm sorry,  _Astrid_." She hated the way he mockingly pronounced her name. He made it sound like another one of his sarcastic jokes. "Ready for some more solitary confinement?"

"Can't wait." She pulled the doors of the cell shut and heard the lock fall back into place, still clueless as to how exactly that was happening. "How are you doing that?" She figured asking couldn't hurt.

"Another one of my secrets." Even though the doors were now locked, she could still hear him, perhaps even more clearly than before.

She sighed, not sure what she'd expected. "Can you at least tell me your name, then?" Longshot.

"No." Expected answer.

"Then what should I call you? You know my name, it'd only be fair if you told me yours," she tried to appeal to his sense of justice – if he had any.

"Well things can't always be fair. What does Berk call me, whenever they cower in fear at my genius?" At least he was taking responsibility for his actions, albeit in an incredibly vain and annoyingly arrogant way.

"We have used several terms while discussing in what ways we could painfully execute you." She would not stand down, the comfort of some of their earlier conversations being absent. "Some call you the Dragon Ghost, others refer to you as 'The Phantom of the Arena'. They're all a little bit overdramatic and give you too much credit, if you ask me."

She was met by the Phantom's manic laugh rather than the friendly one she'd heard earlier that night. " _The Phantom of the Arena_? That's hilariously dark and dramatic. I like it. Yes, you can call me Phantom. Or the Phantom, if you prefer to use it as a title."

"Phantom is kind of a ridiculous name," she teased.

"I am familiar enough with Viking culture to know that's most likely not the most ridiculous name you've had to get used to." So he was either from around the Archipelago, or had spent enough time around there, she noted. Even though he had told her before that he was not a Viking. Which could've easily been a lie.

She grumbled a bit in response, which was met by the Phantom's laugh. "Well, good night and see you soon,  _Astrid_."

"Good night,  _Phantom_."

* * *

It took a good eight hours of hard-to-catch sleep for her mind to properly process the events of the previous night and for Astrid to realise  _what she had actually been doing_. She had essentially spent her night on guard duty having occasionally friendly conversations with the man she was there to capture. In addition to that, he'd somehow gotten her to admit that the dragons she'd spent the whole night watching might not be murderous beasts, which was the exact opposite of what everyone else had told her her whole life. And she'd agreed to engage in even more of it. What was she thinking?

She got out of bed and splashed some cold water in her face before braiding her hair and getting dressed. She should get herself back together, do laundry, get some food and talk to Stoick.

She was able to cross off the first items on her list just fine, but by the time she found herself in front of the chief's house, she was unable to knock on his door. What was she supposed to tell him?

_Yes, chief, I've talked to the Phantom a few times now. No, I have no idea who he is. He might be a Viking, but he says he isn't. He released our captured dragons two nights ago by the way, those cells are completely empty and I knew about it. But he did show me his own dragons! Did you know dragons are afraid of eels!? Oh yeah, and when you talk to him you'll almost forget he sabotages our village and tries to kill our people whenever he gets the chance to!_

She backed away from the chief's house, realising she had absolutely nothing of use. She needed more time with the Phantom. As much as she trusted Stoick, she knew he did not take kindly to those who associated themselves with dragons.  _Like she had last night_. She doubted whether Stoick would view her actions as treasonous at this point, especially since she was just playing along with the Phantom after all. But she did know him to be too protective to let her continue. He'd take over her operation with his usual brute-force approach. And the Phantom would simply outsmart him.

"Astrid?" Just as she'd decided against telling the chief, the man himself was standing right behind her. She spun around, trying to feign innocence as best as she could. Stoick the Vast towered over her, looking concerned. "You were looking for me?"

Think, Astrid, think. She couldn't tell him that she hadn't been looking for him, as she was standing right in front of his house. Her mind shot to the arena and to the Phantom. She had to buy herself more time and prevent them from being found out. "Yes, I was!" She grinned at Stoick, straightening her posture and wiping the doubt off her face.

The chief frowned at her sudden change in expression. "What can I do for you? How have things been going with the Phantom? Any progress?"

She shook her head. "No, there's no been sign of him. Maybe he's been scared off." As she lied straight to her chief's face, she realized he'd uncover her lie as soon as someone came to feed the dragons they still believed to be captured there. Quickly thinking on her feet, she added: "But he'll have to show sometime! It's odd for him to simply leave the dragons there behind. Which got me thinking; since I go to the arena every night anyways, how about I take care of feeding duty as well? It won't take me much time and it'll take some workload off Berk." She was surprised at the ease with which she blatantly lied to Stoick; she'd hardly ever done so before.

Stoick crossed his gigantic arms across his chest and frowned. "We only feed the beasts once a week anyways, but I don't see any reason why not. Just make sure you use the leftovers." Just once a week? Thinking back to how hungry the Phantom's dragons had seemed last night, she couldn't imagine that ever being near enough. She almost caught herself sympathising with the Phantom's disgust at that, but she wouldn't; the dragons had brought it upon themselves after all.

She nodded. Stoick did not seem suspicious of her at all. Then again, what was he supposed to suspect? What she was involved in had been beyond her own imagination until two nights ago.

She exchanged a few more words with Berk's chief about the current circumstances; they hadn't changed much. Reconstruction works were still ongoing and it would just be a matter of time before the dragons would attack again, and the Phantom along with them. Anxious to get away before she'd spill her secrets after all, she cut off the conversation and hurried back to her house. Night would fall soon and she'd have to continue her mission. The Phantom had not given her any indication of  _when_  exactly he'd show up with the Gronckle, but she found herself hoping it'd be tonight. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Dancing on the line between infiltration and treason did not seem like something she could keep up very long.


	5. Think Of Me - Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I had more time than expected on my hands these past days, so I managed to get the next chapter down a lot quicker than anticipated. This one features quite some conversation again, but it's really important to me that I fully explore the dynamic between the Phantom and Astrid/Astrid and dragons and how that changes over time. It also allows me to slowly put forth more and more details about Phantom Hiccup and Astrid's views in this AU. I hope you enjoy!

The Phantom did not show up for a few nights and she found herself even more restless than she had before. When previously on guard duty, she had hardly any idea of what to expect; now that she knew what she was waiting for, her impatience slowly consumed her. Waiting was just  _so extremely boring_.

On one of those nights, she heard the faint sound of Berk's horns and bells in the distance; the rumours in the village the next day confirmed that the Phantom had been there and had once again delivered a huge blow to Berk's livelihood. This made her feeling of unease even worse. Had he decided to back out of their agreement after all?

Finally, after nearly a week, on a rainy and stormy night, the Phantom's voice prevented her from almost falling asleep as it harrowingly echoed through the cell. "I'm here;  _the Phantom of the Arena_."

It briefly sent shivers down her spine, but she recovered quickly enough, her resilience fuelled by her boredom of the past nights. "I see you've fully embraced the name."

"That I have." The Phantom laughed in the same overly dramatic way, before continuing in a friendlier tone of voice: "So, how's your week been? Have your murderous tendencies returned yet?"

"I've spent the past five nights sitting in the dark with nothing to do, how do you think it's been?" she snapped.

"I figured you absolutely loved that. Why else would you be here every night?" the Phantom mocked.

She grit her teeth. "You know well enough it's because we want you dead," she grumbled.

"Ah, yes, Berk's hospitality is truly unrivalled. And how's killing me been working out for you so far?"

"It would be a lot easier if you weren't too afraid to show yourself."

"I've told you before that you'd never beat me in one-on-one combat. I'm not afraid of you, nor of anyone else on Berk. I simply prefer a less brawn-over-brains approach than you Vikings do."

"If you're so sure of yourself, why not prove it to me?" she taunted.

"Are you done projecting the frustrations and insecurities caused by your consistent failures on me?" She balled her fists, finding herself growing increasingly angry at the nerve the Phantom had. "I simply do what I believe to be right, and I'm damn good at it. It's not  _my_ fault that you're not clever enough to figure out my tricks, which is all they are. I'm as human, as much flesh and blood, as you are." The Phantom had lowered his tone and it made her freeze in place. Feelings of anger and confusion overwhelmed her as the Phantom meticulously pointed out her insecurities. "So if you could finally swallow your annoying Viking stubbornness and pride and accept that I'm smarter than you, so I might actually be able to teach you something, that'd be lovely."

"Why?" she retorted, attempting to hold herself together and not let the Phantom's jabs get to her.

"Why what?" the Phantom angrily bit back.

That's when the sliver of control she was still holding on to slipped from her hands. "Why do you want to teach me things? What could you possibly gain from it!? I don't know why, maybe you're bored, but it feels like you're just playing with me! Why!? What reason do you have to pretend to be nice to me, to 'teach me about dragons'!? You've told me often enough that you've got Berk right where you want it! So what reason could you possibly have for 'proving to me that you're right'!? It makes absolutely! No! Sense!" she ranted, her anger taking control of her. She needed some answers, and she needed him to give those to her right now.

The Phantom stayed quiet for a while as she stared straight at the darkness, fuming. Eventually, he spoke, the sound of his voice significantly softer: "Does it have to make sense?"

"Yes! Gods,  _yes_!" she raged. "You intimidate me, you belittle me, you play with me. I get that; I'm your enemy, and you're mine. But then why are you at the same time also trying to be  _nice_  to me?"

"It's way more logical from your end, right?" the Phantom snapped, hate fuelling his voice. "Don't even think for one second that you've given me the idea that you were  _actually_  being friendly. If I had even been close to stupid enough to believe that, your current outburst would have proven me wrong immediately. You want me dead. Of course you do; Vikings have  _never_  been open to opinions different from those that've been branded into their pea-sized brains for generations. You're hoping I slip up; that I unintentionally give you a clue about my identity. Please allow me to crush that thought; you don't know me. No one  _actually_  knows me. I may be human, but presence-wise, Berk is right; I am very much a ghost."

The sudden rage-filled monologue that'd emerged from the Phantom took her by surprise. His voice was harsh, sounded fuelled by pain, remorse and a sense of  _loneliness_  that she couldn't imagine had been caused just by her. There was more to it than he wanted her to know there was. She bit her lower lip. He'd made it clear that he saw through her. She wanted to see through him as well. Trying to control her own rage, but sounding harsher than she'd meant to, she asked: "That still does not answer my question. Why do you want to show me you're right about dragons?"

After a few beats of silence, the Phantom answered. "You were not very far off. Striking Berk is incredibly easy and from time to time, I do get bored, and I figured talking to you would give me a different kind of challenge." His rage seemed to have somewhat faded, but the way he consistently talked down to her seemed to still be omnipresent. "I'd started to pity you; your resolve is admirable, but I knew you were on a mission that would never succeed. Meanwhile, I can keep sabotaging Berk's dragon killing activities all I want; I'm very good at it, after all. But even I have to admit that I will eventually have to start looking for a more permanent solution. I have many ideas for that, some more bloody than others. But like I've told you before; I'm not a killer. And I figured, if there is even a very small chance I can convince one of Berk's warriors that I'm right, maybe a more peaceful solution would not be completely impossible." The Phantom paused for a moment and when he continued, he sounded like he was smiling. "But that's mostly wishful thinking. For now, I simply don't have something interesting to do on every night; and you're indeed very enjoyable to play with."

She did not know what to think of the Phantom's confessions. They'd sounded suspiciously honest, which caught her off guard. But she couldn't allow herself to believe that he was telling her the truth. "You sound strangely well-meaning for someone who clearly finds enjoyment in terrorizing villages."

"Fear is a very powerful tool. It's a means-to-an-end more than anything else."

"I'm having a lot of trouble believing a single word you say," she snapped.

"That's very reasonable. But I'm telling you the truth when I say I simply fight for what I believe in. And that I still intend to show you why I'm right about dragons."

She sighed, not seeing any point in arguing further; she'd asked some of the questions that'd been on her mind the most, and he'd actually given her non-cryptic answers. Despite him telling her that he knew very well what her motive was for talking to him, she did not feel like giving up yet. "Shall we just get on with it then? I've been looking forward to a reunion with your Gronckle for some time now," she remarked sarcastically.

"Yeah, about that…" the Phantom began, as she heard the lock of the cell be released. She got up, grabbed the bag she'd brought from the floor and pushed the doors open. Just like on their previous encounter, she froze in place as soon as she took a look at what was in front of her. "…I did not really agree with your choice."

Out there in the arena stood the Nadder, looking at her curiously. The weather had cleared up and the arena's torches were back on, lighting the Nadder and showing the water still dropping down from her scales. The rain hadn't stopped very long ago.

She had to make sure she did not drop the bag in her hands as she expressed her disapproval. "Of course you didn't! Then why did you let me choose at all?"

"Because I wanted to see if you'd make the right choice, or the easy one."

She frowned and grit her teeth. The nerve on this man. She took a look at the Nadder in front of her, who kept its eyes on her continuously. She had to admit she'd been intrigued by the dragon, by the pretty colours of her scales and the set of incredibly deadly spines on her tail. Still, dealing with the Gronckle had indeed seemed so much… easier. The Nadder gawked at her, sending her stumbling back a few steps.

"And why would this have been the right choice?" she asked as she regained her footing.

"Wait, before you do something incredibly stupid;  _what's in the bag?_ " She felt her cheeks flush red in embarrassment. "I didn't tell you to bring anything," the Phantom continued, sounding confused.

Attempting to hide her embarrassment – it wasn't her fault after all, he had misled her – she admitted: "Rocks."

"Rocks?" A brief pause, followed by a cry of understanding: "Oh!" Past his initial confusion, the Phantom burst out laughing. It echoed throughout the whole arena, making her feel even more ridiculous than she already did. "You actually brought  _food_  for the dragon! Ahahah, that's absolutely hilarious!"

She frowned and tried to open her mouth to explain herself, but the Phantom's laughter was simply too loud. As he seemingly kept that going for nearly a full minute, she impatiently started to tap her foot on the ground. When he finally seemed to quiet down she asked, clearly unamused: "Are you done?"

"You totally have a soft spot for Gronckles!" the Phantom chuckled.

She pouted. "I do  _not_ ," she snapped, refusing to endure his mocking any longer. "I was… nervous. And I figured if things went awry, some food might lighten the mood?" She thought back to a few afternoons ago, on which she was cleaning her clothes in one of Berk's streams. Her mind had inadvertently gone to the Gronckle of the other day when she'd spotted the pebbles at the bottom of the stream. She'd figured a safety net wouldn't hurt. "She looked pretty hungry the other day."

"That's  _adorable_ ," the Phantom mocked, still sounding like he was containing his chuckles. "But don't worry, my dragons are always well fed. Although I'll give you some points for Gronckle expertise; most of the time I spend with her is to make sure she won't overeat. So your plan would definitely have worked." She wasn't sure whether to take his words as a compliment. "Still, you're clearly in way over your head,  _Astrid_."

She ignored his last comment and tossed the bag of rocks to the side; a few small pebbles rolled out as it toppled over. "Well, unfortunately you and your Nadder friend sabotaged it," she remarked bitterly.

The Phantom laughed once again. "No, it's perfect actually; Nadders absolutely  _love_  to play fetch." She did not know whether the Phantom could see it, but she gave the air around her the kind of glare that would've killed most men instantly. Judging from his response, he probably had. "Come on, give her a chance! She flew through tonight's storm for you, that's got to earn her some respect!"

She looked at the Nadder, unsure if the beast had any idea of what they'd been talking about. Even if the dragon did, she was looking at her all the same.

"You didn't answer my question though," she resumed, picking up one of the larger pebbles from the ground and tossing it around in her hands. As she spotted the Nadder's eyes following it, she nervously turned around. "Why the Nadder specifically?"

"You two seem kind of alike."

She took a glance at the Nadder. "What makes you think you know me well enough to judge that?"

"Well, firstly, she's quite beautiful – for a dragon, that is." What was she supposed to make of that in comparison to herself? "She's resilient, and very protective of those she cares about. She takes care of the other dragons when I can't and she's incredibly loyal to those who've done right with her." Astrid took another look at the Nadder, surprised by the loving way in which the Phantom described her. She couldn't imagine a dragon having that much personality; to her, dragons had always been one-dimensional murder weapons. "She's a warrior and a protector most of all, in every sense of the word. Which is what you seem to strive for as well."

She stared at the Nadder's yellow eyes, taking in the Phantom's words. Once again, he'd not been very far off in reading her. But she wondered whether the Nadder did indeed have the same values she had. Could there actually be more to the dragon than she'd always thought? It seemed unlikely. "Fine, I'll give her a shot," she decided. "It's not like you've given me any other choice anyways."

"You can always quit if it's too much for you," the Phantom taunted.

"I'm not a quitter." She closed her fist around the rock still in her hand.

"Neither is she! See, match made in Valhalla." She rolled her eyes as the Phantom once again twisted her own words and used them against her.

She took her eyes off the Nadder, still afraid to lock eyes with her for a considerable time. "So, what now?"

"You should give her a name."

"What?  _Why?_ "

"Makes things easier, and it'll help you bond with her."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm here to learn about dragons; I am not planning on  _bonding_  with one, which I doubt is even possible."

"You'd be surprised. And there's no better way to learn than through experience."

"No, thank you." She was putting her foot down.

"Fine, have it your way," the Phantom replied, clearly irritated. "What do you expect me to teach you then?"

She realized she hadn't given much thought to what she exactly expected from this 'teaching session'. "Everything," she eventually tried.

" _Everything_  I know about Nadders? Are you sure?" the Phantom teased.

"Positive."

It did not take her long to realize that she had made a mistake. What came out of the Phantom after her approval was a fully detailed, overly extensive and incredibly nerdy description of the Deadly Nadder. Every subject she could think of and even those that she couldn't even imagine existed was covered; from their anatomy, to their hunting and mating habits and to the  _exact_  composition of their horn and spines. Somewhere halfway through the lecture, she slumped back against her familiar spot on the wall, which gained her some of the Nadder's curiosity and attention. She tried her best to salvage anything useful from the Phantom's monologue, but her brain struggled to process the overload of information. After what she felt was nearly half an hour in which she wished Thor would just smite her, she interrupted the Phantom as he was about to go onto the subject of what spots on the Nadder's body were ticklish and which weren't. "STOP! For the love of Odin, please tell me how I can make the Deadly Nadder eat me so I won't have to listen to you anymore!"

"Can't do that; I didn't even get to the details of their diet yet," the Phantom teased, feigning insult.

"Gods, you're such a  _geek_." He'd get along great with Fishlegs, if his primary occupation hadn't been making all of their lives exceptionally more difficult.

"I prefer the term 'knowledgeable', thank you. You sure you don't want to hear more?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm good for the night,  _thank you_." She put more force behind her words by tossing the pebble she was still playing around with against the wall on the other side of the arena. As soon as it left her hand, she realized her mistake. The Nadder, who had been eying the stone whenever she'd tossed it from one hand to the other, instantly sprung to life and practically hopped after it, gawking enthusiastically. She caught the rock with ease and sprinted back towards its thrower. Astrid braced herself as the dragon came at her at an alarming speed, but she heard it grind to a halt just in time. Moving away the arm she'd shielded her face with, she caught sight of the Nadder standing about a metre in front of her with the pebble in her beak, excitement in her eyes.

"Hold out your hands," the Phantom stated calmly.

Anxiously, she obliged, stretching out both of her hands, holding them cupped against each other so the stone would fit right into them. With an amazing amount of care, the Nadder dropped the rock into her hands, folded her wings and cocked her head. She found herself unsure of what to do with the dragon so close to her, but the Phantom's voice was soon back to guide her again. "She wants you to pet her." She froze at the suggestion as she stared at the dragon's intimidating beak and nose-horn. "But I guess a compliment would satisfy her too."

She gathered all of her Viking-bravery – which did surprisingly little for her at the moment – and forced something that was supposed to look like a smile onto her face. "Good job," she finally managed, her voice nearly sounding like a squeak.

The Nadder replied by hopping around and flapping her wings in excitement, which produced a few gusts that Astrid was sure had messed up her bangs. Eventually, the dragon calmed down and looked at her as she tossed the stone around in her hands. Surely, it wouldn't be the worst idea to throw it again?

She got to her feet and repeated the process by throwing the rock through the arena a bit differently. The Nadder reacted as enthusiastic as she had earlier and brought it back to her instantly, after which Astrid threw it away again. Before she'd realised it, they got into some sort of rhythm together, in which she alternated between slower, faster and curved throws. The movement felt nice on her shoulder, which she was still trying to get back into its former shape. In the meantime, the Phantom had not spoken at all.

As she threw the rock up high so it'd take the dragon a bit longer to get it back to her, she remarked: "You're awfully quiet."

When the Phantom's voice finally broke its silence, she could almost sense a smile in it. "I figured I wouldn't bore you with another lecture. You seem to be doing fine without my help."

"You talk about Nadders way too extensively. If you gave me a similar lecture about yourself, you'd be making my life a lot easier," she joked.

"Dragons are simply way more interesting than I am," the Phantom replied, and she believed she could hear a sense of earnestness in his voice. "But you're free to ask questions."

"You just won't answer most of them," she added.

"Exactly. You're getting the hang of this." Not sure if he was talking about her playing fetch with the Nadder or on dealing with the conversations, she figured that both were going more smoothly as she threw another curveball to a spot behind the Nadder. After their shouting match earlier that night, a lot of the tension between the Phantom and her seemed to have faded. Not that she trusted him any more than she had before, but with their intentions and motives out in the open – to the extent that they were true, that was – everything did seem to feel a little bit lighter.

As the Nadder returned the rock to her and she tossed it away again – the dragon really did not tire easily – she mentioned: "There is something I've been wondering about."

"Ask away."

"You were talking about this queen that controls the other dragons, right? That the evil things they do are supposedly not their own choice, but that they are made to do it. At the same time, you're trying to prove to me that dragons are good. Does the fact that a queen like that exists, not completely contradict everything you're saying?"

The Phantom did not reply instantly. "You have a point there. Let me put it differently then:  _most_  dragons are good, benevolent creatures. Surely, not all of them can be tamed, and some are a lot more territorial than others, but in the end, they don't mean badly. They're just animals. But as with everything else, there are always… exceptions, I suppose."

Another curveball which the Nadder caught with ease. "How do you know the good ones aren't the exceptions?"

"I've seen enough dragons to know it's not like that. I don't know what the deal is with her, she's…" The Phantom paused for a moment, seemingly overthinking his words. "I don't know if she's always been like this. She has this amazing power to control – amazing biologically, I mean – but it seems as if she's drunk on it, addicted to it. She commands the other dragons, tells them to raid the Archipelago's villages for food; and if they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves. It's ruthless, it's without conscience; it's  _evil_. I've never seen another dragon quite like that; she's the only one."

"And you're the authority on dragons, of course," she remarked bitterly.

"If you can find someone else to fill that vacancy, do let me know," the Phantom joked.

The solution seemed obvious to her. "If she's the problem, why don't you just kill her?"

"I'm working on that. But it's unfortunately not that simple. She's tougher than any other dragon you will ever have seen; compared to her, every dragon you've ever killed was child's play." She wondered what this dragon must look like, given that the Phantom was telling the truth; she could hardly imagine anything more tough than a Gronckle's hide or more dangerous than an ignited Monstrous Nightmare.

"So there are exceptions to you not being a killer as well," she pointed out.

"If one death can save the lives of many, then I'm willing to make that trade-off."

She could agree with that. Their conversation dying out, she resumed her exercise with the Nadder as she occasionally looked at the night sky. The moon often hid itself behind passing clouds and despite morning having to be pretty close, the sky remained dark. The Phantom seemed to have noticed it as well. "I should probably get her out of here before the storm sets in again," he remarked as she took a long look at the Nadder who'd flown through that same storm to get here. She had no clue where she came from nor how far she would've had to fly. "Does she live on Berk, or?" she asked.

"No, but she knows how and when to find me."

"Does that mean that you  _do_ live on Berk?"

"Maybe." Well, that wasn't a yes or a no. If he did not live on Berk, the biggest question would be how he managed to get to the island every time, unseen, so she assumed yes would be the most logical answer. "Let's get you back in your cage and then I'll make sure she gets to safety."

Astrid took the stone from the Nadder for the final time and put it back in the bag. The Nadder looked at her, the look on her face easy to interpret as disappointment. Astrid smiled, much easier this time around. "I'm sorry. We'll play again next time, okay?" The Nadder's eyes visibly lit up and she hopped around in excitement.

"I'll hold you to that," the Phantom chimed in. Of course he would; she had essentially just agreed to another night of… this. And, as she smiled at the Nadder in front of her, she had to admit that she felt significantly less scared at that idea than she had before.

"Stormfly," she decided.

"Huh?"

"That's her name." Calling her "the Nadder" in her head any longer did just not feel right. She could not yet say whether the dragon was inherently good or just trained by the Phantom to pretend to be that way, but she had to admit to herself that there seemed to be more than one dimension to her. And perhaps, to the Phantom as well.

"Stormfly. I like it. It suits her."

"Well, thank you for your approval," she snipped. She waved at Stormfly before getting into her cell, bag over her shoulder. The dragon flapped her wings happily, which earned her a small smile from Astrid in response. The Phantom made the lock fall back into place after she closed and she was surrounded by darkness once again. Tonight had gone by incredibly quickly.

"See you soon,  _Astrid_."

"Good night,  _Phantom_."


	6. Think Of Me - Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's another one! I would once again like to express my thanks and appreciation for the amount of subscriptions, kudos and loving comments I have received so far. It's really motivating and encouraging!

"I'm here;  _the Phantom of the Arena._ "

It was only the third night since their last encounter. Surprised, but not willing to let the Phantom notice, she remarked: "Is that going to be your catchphrase from now on?"

"Yes, it rolls off the tongue quite nicely."

She rolled her eyes and got up to her feet. "So, what's the plan for tonight?" the Phantom continued. "Are you going to threaten to kill me first, or are we past that?"

"I reckon we've both made our intentions clear enough," she grumbled.

"You surely have! Won't take that away from you."

She sighed. "Just get on with it."

The Phantom laughed as the lock of the cell was released. "Alright, you've made promises to Stormfly after all."

She pushed the doors open and found the Nadder – Stormfly – already waiting for her in the arena. Stormfly gawked enthusiastically as she caught sight of her. Astrid managed to put a small smile on her face while she tried her best to contain her nerves. She still wasn't quite getting used to this. "Hey there, Stormfly," she eventually managed to squeak.

Stormfly answered her by flapping her wings happily and she felt herself relax at the dragon's warm welcome. She had to admit her own mind had often wandered to the dragon in the past two days as well. "Do you want to play?" She'd brought the pebble from before with her again and tossed it around in her hands. Stormfly happily hopped in her spot, indicating her agreement. She felt her own smile widen as she moved to toss the stone away. "Alright Stormfly,  _fetch_!"

The dragon obliged eagerly and it didn't take them very long to get back into their rhythm from last time. "You know fetching rocks isn't the only thing she can do, right?" the Phantom eventually remarked.

She smiled wryly. "Like most of my people, I am very well aware of what other capabilities Nadder's have." She paused as she tossed the rock away again. "This is enough of a new experience already."

"I guess I can see your point," the Phantom conceded. Despite his voice having softened, he still kept up his Viking-impression accent.

"What's up with the weird accent, by the way?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Huh?"

"I can't imagine anyone would  _actually_  sound like that," she teased.

"What do you mean?" the Phantom asked, seemingly feigning ignorance.

She rolled her eyes. "It sounds like you're doing an impression of a stereotypical Viking."

"Well, there goes my acting career," the Phantom quipped, still not dropping the accent. She was surprised he'd admitted to the act so easily.

"Just talk normally," she sighed, slightly agitated. "Whatever that may be."

"I won't."

"Why not?"

"It protects my identity." So there was something about his own voice he wished to hide.

"But why would that matter? You said I don't know you, after all," she prodded, hoping the Phantom would give her more.

"It'd give you too many clues; you could figure out where I'm from based on my actual accent." She hadn't even given that much thought yet, but now that she dwelled on it, some of the traders that visited Berk did indeed sound very different from herself. "But if it annoys you that badly, I can put on a different one."

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

What came out of the Phantom now was a softer, more melodic sound. "Well, I could do a French one,  _mademoiselle_."

She burst out laughing at the sudden change of tone. " _Oui_?  _Non_? Not your thing?" the voice that was supposed to come from the Phantom asked.

" _Non_!" she giggled.

"Alright, then," – back to Viking – "I'm sure I can find something more to your liking." The Phantom paused for a moment, seemingly thinking it through. "Would  _Greek_  suit your preferences better?"

The change in his voice made her stumble halfway through her next throw, which earned her a confused look from Stormfly. She did not have any experiences to cross-reference it with, so she could not describe his voice as anything else than  _exotic_. "What's wrong,  _Astrid_?" the Phantom asked, noticing her sudden mishap. The way he rolled the r's that came off his tongue sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. He almost sounded  _sexy_.

She shook her head to get herself back to the land of things that made sense and tossed the pebble towards Stormfly again – okay, not everything made sense. She was playing fetch with a dragon, after all. "Just stick with the Viking one. You sound ridiculous," was her best attempt at waving her embarrassment away.

"As you wish." Thank the gods; despite its ridiculousness, she welcomed the familiar sound of the Phantom's Viking impression.

Trying to keep the conversation going so she could calm down her quickened pulse without being too obvious, she asked: "Do you actually speak those languages, or do you just know how to imitate them?" She'd heard of the areas outside of Berk and the Barbaric Archipelago, but had never actually met anyone from there; he could tell her anything and she'd have no idea whether it was true or not.

"I can get by in Greek, French and Norse, yes."

"And which one of those is your people's?" she tried.

"I have no people."

Of course he didn't give her a straight answer. She wasn't sure what else she'd expected. She shook her head at her own naivety and tossed the stone away again. It was a welcome distraction. "So who taught you all of that?"

"I learnt through experience. Using hand signals or shouting in your own language only gets you so far; adaptation is key."

"So you've actually travelled to all of those places?"

"Yes. Europe, the Byzantine Empire, the Barbaric Archipelago; I've seen most of it." He'd sparked her curiosity. When she was younger, before real life inevitably got in the way, she loved to stare at the sea when taking a break in between training sessions, wondering what else was out there. The Phantom actually seemed to know. Unless he was bluffing, of course.

"And out of all the places in the world, you've decided to haunt  _Berk_?" she asked, confused.

"Naturally. The scenery is amazing, the people are incredibly friendly, and don't even get me started on the weather!"

She rolled her eyes. "Very funny. But really, why Berk?" she tried again.

Surprisingly, he actually gave her an explanation. "It's one of the islands that's most affected by the queen's presence. Like, legitimately; your ancestors could've hardly chosen worse when they decided to settle on Berk. Except for Dragon Island itself, of course. But don't worry, Berk's not the only island that's come to enjoy my company."

Something there had caught her attention. "Dragon Island? Do you mean the dragon's nest?"

"The queen's home, yeah."

"Where is it?" How hadn't she thought of that earlier? Berk had spent many of its resources on trying to track down the dragon's nest, to no avail. If anyone would know where it was, it'd be the dragon-loving Phantom.

"I won't tell you."

"Why –?" she started, before the Phantom interrupted her.

"As much as it'd solve my problems to have all of Berk sail to their deaths there, I refuse to tell you. That place belongs to the dragons."

"And to you," she snarked.

"I belong to the dragons too."

"Maybe you're just bluffing, and you don't actually know where it is," she remarked, frustration growing.

"Believe me, I know," the Phantom answered bitterly.

She angrily tossed the stone away, a lot faster than intended and Stormfly cocked her head at her in confusion. "Come on,  _Phantom_ " – she still felt weird addressing him by his chosen name – "we've got a whole tribe of dragon-killing Vikings on this island, brave enough to take on that queen of yours. You want her dead, right? Let us take care of it."

The Phantom laughed coldly. "I've told you; you have no idea what you're up against. Killing a Nadder is child's play compared to her." She grit her teeth as the Phantom continued to tease her: "And from what I can see, you're not even brave enough to pet a Nadder, so part of me wonders whether you ever actually killed one."

She frowned and balled her hands into fists. She knew the Phantom was just taunting her, but found herself struggling not to take on his challenge. The need she'd felt her whole life, to continuously prove herself, tugged at her. So when Stormfly dropped the rock in her hands once more, she found herself staring at the dragon instead of immediately responding. After all, how bad could touching her be?

"Fine," she decided, tossing the stone on the ground. "Teach me how to."

"Take a step back," the Phantom spoke, surprisingly softly. Not sure what to do with his immediate cooperation, she simply obeyed, eyes locked with Stormfly, who stayed in her spot. "Turn your head away and close your eyes." Warily, she obliged, listening closely for any sudden movements on Stormfly's end. "Now stretch out your hand, palm towards her."

"What?" she stammered, her eyes fluttering open and her heart starting to race.

"It's a sign of trust, Astrid," the Phantom explained calmly, his words almost soothing. "She'll gladly give you hers, but only if you're willing to show her she has yours."

She took another look at the dragon in front of her and took a deep breath. She'd played with her for hours now; she'd even given her a name. She softly bit her lower lip as she considered her situation. Did she trust Stormfly? And if she did, what did that mean for the trust she was putting in the Phantom?

She looked into the Nadder's eyes – Stormfly's eyes – as she thought of the many Deadly Nadders she'd killed as they raided Berk. Had they been just like her, or was Stormfly truly one of a kind? Or had the Phantom simply trained her to seem that way? And if she believed he hadn't, was she then actually willing to admit that there was a chance that everything she'd been taught her whole life was wrong? Even if that was only true for this one particular dragon?

As her eyes rapidly shot from Stormfly to her own hands, she heard the Phantom's voice, almost reduced to a whisper. "Come on, Astrid. Be brave. Dare to be different."

Those simple words resonated deep within her. She'd always wanted to be the bravest Viking on the island. That, to her, had always meant becoming the most fearless dragon killer Berk had ever seen. But maybe the Phantom was right about something after all, and it was time for her to give bravery a deeper meaning: to do what no Viking had done before her.

She took another deep breath and turned her head away once more, closing her eyes. Her breath shaky and her arm even more so, she slowly stretched it out towards where she knew Stormfly was still patiently waiting for her. She could feel her hand shake as she held it out, palm opened towards the dragon. After a few seconds that felt like minutes, her heart stopped as she felt the Nadder's scales gently touch her skin.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and peeked. She found her own hand gently set upon the Nadder's snout. She broke into a soft smile of relief and found Stormfly's eyes peering back at her in the same soft manner. For a few minutes, she simply revelled in that moment; the dragon and her looking at each other, Stormfly's slow breaths making her hand move up and down. There was something truly magical about the experience. It amazed her how such a small gesture from both of them could've been so… world-shattering. Her smile widened as she moved her hand, softly petting Stormfly. The dragon responded by carefully nuzzling her hand, to which Astrid answered by putting her other hand on Stormfly's skull as well, now softly holding her head.

All the while, the Phantom hadn't spoken, so before he could make a smart comment, she asked, softly, but loud enough for him to hear – wherever he might be: "So, are there islands in the Archipelago where dragons and humans aren't at war?" It hadn't merely been an attempt at distraction; she was legitimately interested.

When the Phantom answered, he sounded slightly surprised, albeit not in a negative way. "Oh yes, definitely. But there are many islands which are inhabited solely by dragons as well. Usually by one species in abundance, actually."

"Tell me about them." She softly stroked Stormfly's skull, tracing the outsides of her nostrils with her fingers, which earned her something that she supposed was a dragon's sneeze in response. She giggled softly.

"Sure," the Phantom agreed, seemingly slightly taken aback by her sudden interest. "For instance, there's this one island, somewhere south of Berk, which I've come to call Changewing Island. I don't know if you know about Changewings, but if you do, I guess you can imagine the… eventful chain of events that caused me to come up with a name for said island…"

As the Phantom started to ramble, she found herself softly stroking Stormfly's horn, while she continuously kept her eyes locked with the dragon's. She quietly concluded that, indeed, this was not so bad after all.

* * *

Her days and nights started to blur into one another after that particular one. Although he did not visit every night, the Phantom brought Stormfly by significantly more often. She'd taken to working out in order to get her shoulder back in shape on the nights that remained – she knew there was no point in actually guarding anymore anyways. When Stoick got her out in the morning, she'd usually try her best to feign disappointment; even if Berk's chief was not convinced by her act, she knew he simply had too many other things on his mind to question her true intentions. The increasing amount of grey in his beard had not escaped her attention, neither had the bags under his eyes. Still, she was not quite ready to relieve her chief of some of his uncertainties by sharing her experiences.

The nights on which the Phantom and Stormfly did visit her usually went by incredibly quickly. After she'd crossed the initial hurdle of touching the dragon for the first time, things had become a lot easier. The Phantom's mood had softened as he patiently taught her more about the dragon, coming back to the components of his earlier monologue occasionally. She'd bring these into practice by playing an increasingly creative game of fetch with Stormfly, after which she'd reward her by scratching and petting the places the Phantom had taught her she liked, and by occasionally helping her groom her scales. In the meantime, the Phantom would tell her stories of the places he'd visited. He told her of islands and dragon species he'd discovered – one named even more ridiculously than the other. Which she often teased him with, but he'd pointed out to her that Vikings should be the last one to judge in that area. He unfortunately refused to talk about any place in the Archipelago that involved humans and conveniently left out any of his own actions and involvement on the islands he did talk about; but his descriptions were lively enough nevertheless and continuously took hold of her interest. Having never set foot on any island besides Berk, she did immensely enjoy listening to his stories of the world out there – regardless of whether they were true. Occasionally, he'd mix it up with a sudden story about something he remembered from Europe, or from even further away. Those stories sounded even more fantastical to her, but she indulged in them nevertheless. All the while, the atmosphere between them had been oddly friendly; there hadn't been any serious threats from either side, although he still very much liked to tease her or to throw sarcastic remarks her way. It felt strangely wrong and right at the same time and she'd decided not to dwell on it too much. Her night-time shifts felt like a comfortable cocoon, too early to break out of. During the day, she kept up appearances and kept herself as busy as possible to avoid any incoming feelings of guilt. From time to time, she successfully convinced herself that she was still going along with this just to get information out of the Phantom. But no matter how hard she'd tried, he had not slipped up. Yet.

On this particular late afternoon, she found herself in the Great Hall as she was killing time after her breakfast, waiting until her next shift started. She tried her best to show her face around the village often enough for people not to get too suspicious, but she'd never been much of a talker. She'd proven her worth in battle many times and people respected her for that, which was as much interaction as she wished to endure.

She absent-mindedly twirled the paintbrush she'd brought with her, her thoughts somewhere else until it was snatched from her hands. She spun around, ready to tell off whoever had dared to interrupt her daydreams and found Ruffnut setting herself down on the bench next to her. "Oh, hey Ruff," she murmured.

Ruffnut took a look at the brush before putting it back down on the table. "I didn't take you for an artist, Astrid."

She smiled wryly as she looked at the stone in front of her, which she had painted in a pattern of blue and gold that now closely resembled Stormfly's, although she doubted Ruff could see that. She'd spent a few nights bringing stones of different sizes and weights to the arena and Stormfly had quickly decided that this was her favourite. She'd figured she should mark it so she wouldn't lose it, but she'd gotten slightly carried away. "I'd hardly consider this art, but painting can be quite relaxing, I suppose." She smiled at her sort-of-friend. "Where's your other half?" When talking one-on-one, she occasionally got along quite well with the female Thorston twin. Not that both of them were girly girls, but being the only women in their age group did create some sort of unspoken bond. When paired up with her brother however, they together became one heap of destruction and creative insanity which she simply could not stand.

"With Snot and Fishface. Even  _I_ can't make sense of what those three are up to sometimes," Ruffnut answered, holding her hands up in a 'what-can-you-do' kind of way.

They chatted for a while about nothing in particular – mostly Ruffnut telling stories about what pranks they'd pulled lately – until Tuffnut violently placed himself on the bench, to the left of her, completing the twins' infamous Thorston sandwich. "Well hello there, Astrid," Ruffnut's male counterpart mused. "Haven't talked to you in a while. How have things been going –" From the corner of her eye, she spotted Ruffnut frantically waving her arms at her brother. She raised an eyebrow in response. "– with  _the Phantom_?"

Her body froze and her heart stopped beating as she looked at Tuffnut, the shock clearly visible on her face.  _He knew_. How? And how much?

Ruffnut snapped her out of her exasperation by shoving her under the table so she could properly hit her brother. Astrid tried her best to compose herself as she crawled to the other side – this wasn't the first time she'd been in the middle of a disagreement between the twins – where she was met by a smirking Snotlout and a concerned-looking Fishlegs. She smiled like a kid that just got caught stealing their parents' favourite socks as she got up to her feet. "Hey guys."

"You idiot!" Ruffnut exclaimed as she hit her brother in the stomach. "You can't keep your mouth shut at all! First you tell these two muttonheads, and now Astrid too!?" She gestured at the two other boys, who smiled awkwardly in response. That earned Tuffnut a well-deserved knock on the head.

Their argument gave Astrid some time to regain her composure until she was finally able to calmly ask: "What are you talking about, Tuff?"

Ruffnut decided to speak for him instead, covering Tuffnut's mouth with her hand. "What my idiot brother was trying to say, is that we know what you've been up to!" Before she could say anything else, Ruffnut yelped and jerked her hand away. "Did you just  _lick_ me!?" she shouted before punching her brother once again.

Astrid crossed her arms and sceptically looked at the twins. She had to play it as cool as she normally would, even though her heart was still beating way too quickly. "And what have I been up to, exactly?"

"Hey, you're not in any position to act judge-y,  _Astrid_ ," Snotlout butted in. She gave him a very effective glare, after which he turned his attention towards the twins, flapping his arms around at them. "You tell her!"

"Indeed, missy!" Tuffnut took over. She pulled up an eyebrow. "You're trying to catch the Phantom before us! On your own, too!"

She took a deep breath and felt her heartbeat slowly calm down. They didn't  _really_  know. Gods, how thankful she was that they didn't know. "Am I now?" she asked. She had to figure out what they did know, however.

"Yeah!" Ruffnut chimed in. "We've seen you go to the arena!" Astrid felt herself freeze once more. "Stoick locks you up, nothing happens all night, Stoick gets you out again and you just repeat that." Internally, she sighed in relief. She couldn't believe her luck. During all the nights the twins had apparently spied on her, the Phantom and Stormfly hadn't been there.

"Which made no sense to us at first, but!" Tuffnut proudly gestured towards Fishlegs. "Our dear Fishface remarked that you're probably just trying to lure him in! Pretend you're a captured dragon and all."

She gave Fishlegs a glare, which he responded to by putting on his 'don't blame me, I'm just the witness'-face. She pinched her forehead before looking back at the twins. "Even if you were right – which I'm not saying you are – why would that concern you? Why do you guys want to catch the Phantom?"

"Good question, my dear Astrid." She gave Tuffnut a glare – which never particularly phased him – as he got up and went into pretentious-narrator mode. "You see, it does not happen every day that you encounter a being who so truly embodies everything you admire. The Phantom is devious, the Phantom is stealthy, the Phantom is destructive. The Phantom, Astrid, is the earthly manifestation of Loki himself." She rolled her eyes. "And we –" Tuffnut gestured to his sister and himself. "– want to become his apprentices."

"His admirers!" Ruffnut added.

Tuffnut took a bow. "His most loyal servants."

She wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but Snotlout surprisingly interrupted her by slamming his fist on the table. "We've been over this, you muttonheads! The only thing we'll be doing to him is killing him." He balled his hands into fists. "He's laid his hands on  _my_  island, and he'll pay for that."

Astrid did her best to hide her disgust. She still was not quite used to the idea that with Hiccup gone, Snotlout would likely be the next chief of Berk. Stoick hadn't made that official yet, but with him having no other sons, it seemed inevitable.

"As much as I hate to admit it; Snotlout's right, guys," Fishlegs remarked, attempting to add something to the conversation.

She looked at the four of them, her face serious. "So, what's your plan then?"

The foursome stayed awfully quiet in response her question, looking at each other to see who would be the sacrificial yak. Eventually, Fishlegs smiled awkwardly and dared to speak up: "We figured you had one." His awkward smile was joined by those of the others.

"So you decided to simply spy on me instead?" As her friends' awkward and slightly guilty smiles widened, she sighed and shook her head. She figured giving them a sense of transparency might be the best way to get them off her back; she couldn't afford having them spy on her again. She sat back down at the table and gestured at them to gather around her. As soon as they'd properly put their heads together, she admitted: "Okay, you're right; I am trying to catch the Phantom. But –" She leaned in closer and looked at each of her friends' faces. "– this assignment was given to me specifically, by Stoick, your  _chief_." She let her eyes linger on Snotlout for a minute. "And I'm not going to disobey the chief's orders, nor help you disobey them." She knew very well that, despite her friends' ideas usually bordering on lunacy, they would not dare to disobey a direct order from Berk's chief, especially in these circumstances. "But I guess you guys could search the rest of the island," she added, after which she shrugged.

"That's a wild yak chase, Astrid," Snotlout snarked.

"I know, Snotlout. But do you have a better idea?" As she watched Snotlout's dumbfounded face with pleasure, she proceeded to answer her own question: "Ah, that's true; you don't."

"And what if someone actually finds him?" Fishlegs asked, his voice shaking. "Even the twins aren't boar-headed enough to believe you broke your shoulder because you simply  _fell_."

She smirked and got her axe from her back, conveniently using the dramatic gesture to ignore Fishlegs' comment about her shoulder. "Then you either run, or you  _kill him_."

That was enough to entice Tuffnut, as the male Thorston twin basically jumped up from his seat. "Alright, let's do this!"

His enthusiasm lightened the mood in the group. Astrid laughed with them, disaster hopefully avoided, but could not help but feel her heart sting. Given how easily she had just lied to her friends, she could not shake the feeling that she was falling deeper and deeper into this boar pit she'd gotten herself into, with the bottom still not in sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some much-needed screen-time for the rest of the gang and some more clues on what our Phantom Hiccup has been up to. History-wise, I'm assuming HTTYD takes place somewhere between 800-900 AD, based on clues Trader Johann gives in Race to the Edge. During this time, the countries of Francia and the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire existed, hence I refer to the languages that were spoken there. I will not go as far as to actually write dialogue in these languages; the purpose of their mention is mainly to add to the Phantom's supposed travel experience – if he's telling the truth, that is…


	7. Think Of Me - Part 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter, but still very important chapter this time around! Given that I already have a fairly detailed outline for the next chapter, I figured I'd rather make this one a bit shorter and the next one a bit longer, given as I want to keep the next chapter together as a whole. 
> 
> Please enjoy!

"I need to tell you something."

Stormfly gave her a curious look, which made Astrid laugh. "Not you, Stormfly." She softly scratched Stormfly's belly in the way the Phantom had taught her to. The dragon produced something that sounded like a purr in response.

"Alright, message received, my story about Rome was not very interesting," the Phantom joked.

She nervously bit her lower lip. "It was, but this is important." Ever since the conversation with her friends earlier that day, she'd been wondering how to deal with the whole situation. As a result, she had hardly been able to pay attention to whatever the Phantom had been telling her up to this point. Now, she'd finally decided that simply telling him might be the solution that'd allow her to control the repercussions as much as possible. After all, she didn't know what he'd do if he found out on his own.

"Alright, go ahead then."

She looked down, as if that would somehow protect her what'd come for her. Anxious, she started: "I only just found this out today, and I swear that I wasn't in on it! But…" She bit her lower lip. "People have been spying on me! They've luckily never seen me with Stormfly and I swear, I absolutely swear, that I didn't know!"

She shut her eyes and prepared herself for whatever wrath the Phantom would bring down upon her. He hadn't shown his bad side in a while, but this would surely bring it out. Then again, if she'd waited for him to find out on his own, who knows who he would've directed his anger at instead. At least she could take the hit.

"I know."

Without actually registering the Phantom's response, she plead: "I swear I did not know! But please, don't take it out on them, I –" Then, the Phantom's words actually registered in her brain. She frowned in confusion. "Wait, you knew?"

The Phantom laughed. "Of course I knew, Astrid. It sounds like you actually think it's a coincidence they never found anything incriminating."

"But you said you'd burn down the whole village if you'd ever spot anyone else come close to the arena…" she murmured, as her own naivety dawned on her. Of course they hadn't simply been lucky.

"Gods, you're susceptible to empty threats," the Phantom sighed.

"Well, there's no knowing with you! How am I supposed to know when you're lying and when you're not!?" she yelled, hiding her own insecurity by lashing out at him. "Especially considering you're so hot and cold all the time!"

"I thought we were past shouting at each other!?" the Phantom roared. "If I wanted to burn down Berk, I would've done so a long time ago. But it's incredibly amusing to me that you're apparently still scared of me, yet you also consistently underestimate me. Like I'd actually be that careless as to simply assume you'd hold your word."

"Like I said, I had nothing to do with it," she bit.

"Okay, fine, like I'd actually be careless enough to assume you'd not raise any suspicions."

"Are you saying I'm incompetent?" she grumbled.

"No. Just that you're not particularly stealthy."

She grit her teeth and turned back towards Stormfly, softly caressing the dragon's wings. This was going nowhere; they hadn't really argued in weeks, and she was not going to go along with it now. "But, I'm very glad you told me nevertheless, Astrid," the Phantom continued, his voice teasing. "Gives me a good sense of where your allegiances lie."

She laughed sarcastically. "Most certainly not with you."

"Then why would you tell me? Why would you not get someone else in on it too, after all? See if they can find me."

She balled her hands into fists, throwing her peaceful intentions out of the window and startling Stormfly in the process. "You'd threatened to burn down my village if you ever found out anyone else was in on it. Besides, you clearly don't want to be found, and I doubt an extra pair of eyes would change that."

"So you do know me after all. Still, I think you're lying to me."

"I told you, I had nothing to do with it," she sighed. He was not going to let this go.

"I believe that; what I do not believe is that you told me because you were afraid of what'd happen to Berk. I think you're simply afraid to be found out." She felt herself slightly freeze, her hands resting on Stormfly's scales. "I mean, how would you even begin to explain all… this? One wrong word and they'd brand you as a traitor and, let's face it, in their eyes, aren't you?" She shook her head in response, attempting to drown out the Phantom's words. "Because you know. I know you know. I can see it whenever you're with Stormfly; you know I'm right about dragons. You simply haven't had the guts to tell me yet."

She took a deep breath, trying her best to shield herself from the jabs the Phantom was once again taking at her very soul. "That you may be right about Stormfly, doesn't mean you're right about all dragons. It simply means you properly trained one," she stated, softly grooming the Nadder's scales.

"If that's the way in which you wish to keep fooling yourself, be my guest. But don't think you're fooling me."

"And of course you know me better than I know myself," she snapped.

"Maybe I do." Before she could bite back at the Phantom once more, he lowered his voice, continuing softly: "But feel free to take as long as you need, Astrid. I will protect our little Valhalla; you can count on that. No need to worry; it has always been just you and me."

Those words, along with the way in which the Phantom had spoken them, made her insides contract. She shook her head to snap herself out of it. "Don't get ahead of yourself. You're nothing more than a slimy, untrustworthy –" Her intended barrage of insults was interrupted by the loud, unmistakable sound of Berk's horns and bells. A raid was inbound.

"What?" the Phantom exclaimed, sounding confused. "That makes no sense, they just raided Outcast Island a few nights ago…" he continued, seemingly speaking more to himself than to her. "I have to go."

"How awfully convenient," she bit, unconvinced by the Phantom's seeming confusion.

"No, I'm not kidding, if I expected this, I wouldn't have been here in the first place," the Phantom replied, sounding oddly concerned. "I'm sorry, Astrid. I overreached. I – I have to go; Stormfly will take care of you."

The obvious distress in his voice took her by surprise. It was unsettling. "Phantom?" she asked. No reply.

"Phantom?" she tried once more, but the arena remained quiet. He had actually left her behind with Stormfly. Her muscles tensed at the realization and she felt the dragon twitch beneath her fingers in response. She gently cupped the Nadder's face and looked at her, attempting to suppress her own nerves.

Stormfly gawked and flapped her wings, her pupils twitching restlessly as Berk's horns could be heard in the distance once again, declaring the village's distress. "Calm down, girl," Astrid whispered, softly stroking Stormfly's scales in an attempt to put her at ease. "We're okay; whatever's going on, it's going on over there." She gestured in the general direction of the village, hoping Stormfly would understand. With the Phantom gone, they could only rely on each other. They would be fine, though; there was no food in the vicinity of the arena, so no one, both dragon and Viking – apart from the Phantom of course, had any business in coming here. Still, she'd rather not take any risks.

"How about we just get into my cell and wait it out?" she tried, putting her hand on the Nadder's snout like the Phantom had taught her. She slowly took a few steps back, and after some deliberation, Stormfly slowly followed. Darkness soon surrounded them and Astrid sighed in relief as her back hit the backwall of the cell. The light from the arena made it so that she could just see Stormfly and she scratched the Nadder's belly as a reward for her obedience. "Good girl."

Even though Stormfly seemed to have settled down a bit, the dragon still remained restless, and so did Astrid herself. She sat down in the corner of her cell, one hand on her battle axe at all times; she'd rather be safe than sorry. Stormfly eventually laid down not too far from her, just in reach for Astrid to softly rub her nasal horn, but the dragon still twitched at every sound.

What seemed like nearly an hour passed and the noise that came from Berk did not seem to dwindle at all. Eventually, they were startled by the sound of a large blast coming from the village, which made even the foundations of the arena tremble. Her own breath caught in her throat and Stormfly leapt to her feet and out of the cell, into the arena.

"Stormfly!" she yelled, scrambling to her feet and running after the dragon. Stormfly halted at the edge of the arena, head twitching, seemingly trying to locate the source of the blast. Slightly relieved that she hadn't been so spooked she'd flown off, Astrid got to the dragon and softly stroked her scales, which Stormfly cautiously let her. "It's alright, girl, that wasn't here, it…" Her eyes wandered to what little she could see of Berk, flames still clearly visible above anything else. She suppressed the need to run over there, sincerely hoping everyone was alright despite her absence. Her sudden appearance would blow her cover, and she had Stormfly to look after as well.

Waving away what that sense of priorities implied, she turned her eyes back towards the distressed dragon, locking eyes with her. "Do you want to play?" she asked, softly smiling at Stormfly, hoping that distraction would calm her – both of them – down. "I brought your favourite toy again. Want me to go get it?" Stormfly did not answer, but did seem to relax a bit, which she took as a yes.

Astrid jogged back to the cell, scrambling through her stuff to find the stone she'd painted earlier that day. Then, she was interrupted by a metallic clang; something touching the remainders of the iron caging over the arena. Looking behind her, she found that Stormfly was still there. Then what could've made that sound?

Carefully, she walked back into the arena. Stormfly seemed to get more disquieted by the minute, now gawking wildly at something to her right. "Phantom?" she tried, before stepping into the arena and looking into the direction of what'd unsettled Stormfly that badly. Her heart skipped a beat. There, sitting on the upper ring of arena, was a Monstrous Nightmare, fully ablaze. Even despite its orange flames making most of its colours indistinguishable, she could see that this was not the same Nightmare as the one the Phantom had brought by earlier; this one had a more purple hue to him and was most certainly not as docile.

Before she could run back into the cell to get her axe, the dragon spotted her as well and leapt down into the arena with a loud roar, which made her stumble backwards. Now effectively separating her and Stormfly, the Nightmare assumed a predatory position, seemingly ready to attack. She swallowed nervously as she readied herself to duck, run or to do whatever she could to get out her predicament. Running into the cell to get her axe would not take her too long, but it would also make her a very easy target.

As the Nightmare was about to strike however, she heard the unmistakable sound of a Deadly Nadder shooting spines from its tail. She could see Stormfly's gold and blue spines land just behind the Nightmare, startling the dragon and making him spin around. Astrid narrowly dodged the resulting swipe of his tail. Stormfly gawked aggressively at the Nightmare, and Astrid, realising the Nadder had bought her some valuable time, silently crept back into the cell where her axe was still waiting for her. All the while, she kept her eyes carefully on the Nightmare. It made no sense for the dragon to be here; there was nothing for him to steal. As the Nightmare aggressively spewed its fire towards Stormfly – who agilely dodged out of the way before firing her own magnesium blast back, the accompanying tail swipe made Astrid catch sight of the burning remains of one of Berk's arrows, lodged into the Nightmare's tail. As she watched the dragon's ablaze skin turn back to normal – seemingly having run out of fuel – she realized that even though he'd successfully burnt the wooden parts away, the metal arrowhead still remained deeply buried into the dragon's skin. The beast hadn't come here for food, or for them; it had fled from Berk because it was in pain.

With both her axe and the Nightmare's tail in reach, Astrid found herself with a choice to make. Between the Viking way or… the Phantom's way. No, that wasn't the way she should think about it. It was a choice between relieving the Nightmare of its pain, at the risk of losing her own life, or… permanently relieving it from its suffering, the way she'd always done it.

Scared and intimidated, she made the decision that seemed natural to her and tiptoed back into the cell, getting her axe. Hands tightly grasping the handle, she stepped back out into the arena, where the Nightmare and Stormfly were still at odds with each other. She carefully approached the Nightmare, keeping her eyes on Stormfly, hoping the dragon would see that she needed her to keep their enemy occupied just a little longer. Stormfly locked eyes with her, gawking at the Nightmare once more and readying the spines on her tail, seemingly understanding what Astrid was about to do. As she raised her axe, the realization of what that actually meant hit her. The Phantom wasn't here; if he had been, he would've put an end to all of this by now. Stormfly was protecting her, doing this for her, putting her faith in her. The dragon – a dragon – trusted her.

Shaken to the core, she lowered her axe, holding onto it with one hand while stretching her other out towards the Nightmare's tail, the arrowhead still clearly visible. She was overwhelmed by the feeling that this was the right thing to do. Regardless of what everyone else said, or thought, this felt right to her.

As she softly laid her hand on the Nightmare's sticky skin, feeling for the arrowhead, the dragon suddenly spun around. It sent her stumbling away, falling back on her behind, her axe falling from her hands and clattering on the arena's floor as the Nightmare proceeded to lean over her, trapping her with his gigantic wings and body. Stormfly gawked aggressively and shot another set of spines in the Nightmare's direction, but he made it clear that his eyes were on Astrid only by aggressively swiping her axe out of reach.

She swallowed as she crawled backwards, the Nightmare's eyes not letting hers go. Had she made the wrong decision after all? "I'm not here to hurt you," she squirmed as the Nightmare's face closed in on hers, allowing her to almost feel his hot breath on her face. "I just want to help," she plead. "Let me get the arrow out of your tail, and then you'll feel much better, I promise."

Seeing no sign of understanding or recognition in the Nightmare's eyes, she felt the panic inside her rise to a maximum. Stormfly was closing in on the Nightmare from behind, but she wasn't sure how far the dragon was willing to go for her, nor if she'd be able to take on the Nightmare in a one-on-one fight. The Phantom wasn't here to save her either, and she wasn't sure that he even would. The only person that could get her out of this situation alive, was her.

In an act of desperation, she decided to fall back to one of the first things the Phantom had taught her. Not even sure whether this worked on other dragons besides the Deadly Nadder, but seeing no more other options, she closed her eyes, turned her head away and stretched her open palm out towards the Nightmare, letting it hover in front of the dragon's snout. She could feel the Nightmare's hot breaths tickle against her shaking palm and for a while, nothing happened besides that. As she eventually found the courage to pry her eyes open and peek, she found the Nightmare there, simply staring at her, his body seemingly frozen. She looked into the Nightmare's yellow-orange eyes and smiled softly, trying her best to wipe the visible panic off her face. The Nightmare leaned in closer, its head hovering only millimetres away from her hand. She held her breath. Then, the dragon slowly backed away.

As he released her from her prison, Stormfly hurried over to her, protectively readying her tail. "It's okay, girl, I'm not dead yet," she murmured, petting the Nadder with one hand while keeping the other still stretched out towards the Nightmare, who eyed the two of them warily. She slowly made her way to the other side of the dragon, keeping her eyes locked with his, Stormfly slowly following her. The Nightmare laid his tail bare in such a way that she could easily reach the arrowhead, seemingly giving her the benefit of the doubt, for now. As she finally laid her hands on the dragon's wound, the Nightmare twitched, which earnt him a warning gawk from Stormfly.

"It's okay, I'll be done in a second," she told the Nightmare, trying to seem sure of herself. Her hands soon found the arrowhead and after taking a deep breath, she pulled it out in one go. Beneath her hands, the Nightmare seemingly sprung to life, almost hitting her in the head as he swiped his tail forward to examine it. She watched as the Nightmare's eyes softened, its body relaxing, wings spreading out. The dragon took one more long look at her and Stormfly, then shot off from the ground and took to the air. The sudden force of wind made Astrid fall back to the floor, from where she watched the Monstrous Nightmare fly away into the darkness.

Trembling with a mixture of fear and adrenaline, she scrambled to the side of the arena, leaning back against the wall in an attempt to steady herself. She put her head in her hands as her mind finally started to process what had just happened and more importantly, what she had just done. Tears welled up as she heard the Nadder who'd so fiercely protected her approach her, concern visible in her eyes. Stormfly laid down next to her as best as she could, her expression filled with a sense of sadness. Astrid wrapped her hands around Stormfly's skull, laying her cheek against her horn and for the first time, she truly hugged the dragon. It was even more than that, however; she hugged her friend.

She softly stroked Stormfly's scales, rubbing her cheek against her horn, finding an awful amount of consolation in the dragon's embrace as she finally recognised what she'd been told all along. "He's right, Stormfly," she wept, which earned her a curious look from her friend. "The Phantom," she explained, smiling wryly through her tears. "He's right. He's right about dragons."

* * *

It wasn't until nearly morning that the Phantom returned, finding Astrid and Stormfly huddled together in her cell. They didn't talk much; the Phantom seemed awfully distracted and just wanted to get Stormfly out of there as quick as possible. Which had been fine with Astrid; it gave her some more time to dwell on the revelations of that night in private, before she'd share them with anyone else than Stormfly. She didn't feel the need to share the story about the Nightmare either, as it'd likely give the Phantom more questions than answers in the short amount of time they still had.

The rest of the night had gone by quietly, luckily, which had given her a lot of time to think. She'd gone over all of the excuses for Stormfly's excellent behaviour she'd made up earlier – which mostly came down to the Phantom's manipulativeness – and had realised that none of them made sense anymore after her encounter with the Nightmare. The dragon had been wild, aggressive, hurt, yet it had still not immediately charred or eaten her; it had given her a chance to show that she meant no harm. The sheer sense of amazement that gave her was simply overwhelming. Although one could argue that she'd have to test it with more dragons to be absolutely sure of the Phantom's correctness, she had to admit that she was already convinced. Her only fear was that the Phantom might've carefully orchestrated everything after all; in the end, she had to make sure not to underestimate him.

By the time morning came – and she'd managed to regain her composure – she was quickly given very pressing reasons to completely discard that theory, however. The look on Stoick the Vast's face could not be described as anything else but utterly devastated. She'd hardly ever seen the chief of Berk this distraught; and after all the man had been through, that was very telling. Overcome by worry, internalizing the chief's terror, she struggled to ask even the simplest question.

"Chief? What happened?"


	8. Think Of Me - Part 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I proudly present the longest chapter so far! It's a quite important one as well, so I'll just leave you guys to it ;) Once again thank you for all your feedback and support!

Stoick the Vast was awfully quiet on their way back to the village. He had not given her an answer to her question, but had simply shaken his head and gestured for her to follow along. Astrid had followed suit, both her worry as to what had upset the chief this badly and the revelations of last night holding her tightly in their grip.

One look at the sky already told her that something was wrong; the sun was up way higher than usual, which meant the chief had been significantly delayed in fetching her. Especially considering they were already halfway through Berk's usually short fall and with winter expected to rear its ugly head in about a month, the amount of hours of daylight Berk enjoyed was starting to lessen already. When they got to the village however, the severity of the situation started to become clear to her.

Usually, the village of Berk was very quiet the morning after raids; despite their stubbornness, Vikings did need sleep. On this particular morning however, the village was crowded with carts, wheelbarrows and fishing nets, along with the Vikings who used them. As Stoick and her walked through the village, the distraught looks on the villager's faces, matching the chief's, started to slowly pull her back to reality after her surreal experience of the night before. She caught glimpses of her friends as well, but even the twins seemed awfully quiet.

As they reached the plaza in front of the stairs leading up to the Great Hall, her eyes caught sight of the source of the village's misery. She lifted a hand to her mouth in shock and she could feel Stoick protectively put his hands on her shoulders. They stood there for a while, in silence, before the chief of Berk finally spoke. "He's done us in, Astrid."

She nodded in reply, as Stoick did not have to explain to her which 'he' he was talking about. She balled her fists, slightly trembling as she felt her figurative feet firmly hit solid ground. On the bright side, at least she now knew what had caused the blast that'd startled Stormfly last night.

They were hit by a cold breeze, making her shiver and teasing her with the smell of charred wood and burnt meat – which she'd enjoy under any other circumstance. Now however, she was filled with an overwhelming sense of anger and rage as she simply stared at what was in front of her. The warehouses which Berk had carefully stocked with everything it needed to get through the winter had been reduced to nothing more than ash. She grit her teeth, revelling in her anger. This was the Phantom's doing.

* * *

It took the Phantom two nights to reappear, which had given her the opportunity to dwell on the overwhelming amount of anger and rage she felt towards him, in spite of her personal experiences during the night of the raid. They did not matter; whatever the Phantom thought did not matter. She'd been confronted with reality; her village came first and she absolutely despised him.

Still, she could not simply leave it like that. She needed to see the Phantom one more time, to put matters back into her own hands and to put an end to whatever it was they had going on. Convincing the chief to let her come back to the arena had not been easy, but she simply had to get this done and over with.

" _Astrid, we need you, now more than ever. It's been months now, and you haven't been able to find anything," Stoick had told her, his expression a mixture of coercion and concern._

" _Chief, I – I can't give up now! I've been trying for so long, I'm close, I can feel it." She had doubted for a moment, before making up a revelation: "You know the dragons I was supposed to be feeding? I've been starving them instead. They've been awfully quiet; I'm sure they're near dead. He'll show up any night now to get them out. He has to."_

_The chief had looked slightly taken aback by her made-up acts of cruelty, meant to convince him of how far she was willing to go. Still, he had shaken his head. "We need everyone to help out."_

" _Please, chief," she had begged. "I'll work as much as I can outside of my shifts; I'll cut sleep if I have to. But please, I'm so close, I can feel it! Just a few more nights!" She'd looked down, her face visibly clouded. "I've only failed you once before; I'm not quite ready to fail again."_

That had done it. She'd known it was incredibly low for her to capitalize on their collective and very painful memory, but it'd worked. The chief of Berk had awkwardly hugged her – which was already quite much for him – and agreed to let her go on for a few more nights. And now, she finally found herself in the ring with the Phantom once more.

Hugging Stormfly tightly upon their reunion – her issue wasn't with the dragon after all – she tried her best to keep her calm at first. She'd unleash the full extent of her anger on the Phantom at the most suitable time. The person in question remained awfully quiet however, so eventually she asked: "Did you manage to figure out why the dragons  _unexpectedly_ raided Berk?"

She didn't know if the Phantom had picked up on the sarcastic way in which she'd stressed the word unexpectedly, but if he had, he'd decided to ignore it. "Not really. It didn't make sense to me then and it still doesn't now. Maybe the queen's gathering extra food, since winter is approaching? I don't know if she actually goes into hibernation or not, to be honest." She felt her insides boil as her anger rose. Of course, he did consider the seasonal patterns of dragons. Humans were nothing to him, after all. "Nevertheless, I'm sorry, Astrid."

"Oh, I'm sure you are," she bit, about to explode.

"I already said sorry. What are you angry with me for?" the Phantom asked, feigning ignorance.

"Like you don't know," she snapped.

"I actually don't," the Phantom answered. "Aside from the usual of course."

That's when she erupted, the rage she'd dwelled on for the past few days taking control of her. She stepped away from Stormfly, as if that would somehow keep the dragon out of the crossfire. "You're despicable! There you were, being all "oh Astrid, you're  _so_ susceptible to empty threats!". Yet you took it all out on Berk nevertheless!"

"Wh-?" the Phantom started, but she wouldn't let him.

"You're such an incredible  _coward_. If you were actually a man, you'd taken whatever anger you were clearly feeling out on me, not on my village." Gods, how she wished she could hit him in his undoubtedly incredibly annoying face.

"Astrid, I don't know what you're talking about," the Phantom nearly stammered.

That sent her completely over the edge. " _You blew up our provisions_!" she yelled. "All our food, everything we gathered to get us through the winter, it's  _gone_!"

"That was an accident," the Phantom stuttered. "There was a Zippleback, they were about to kill it, and…"

"I. Don't. Care," she fumed. "Winter is coming in a few weeks, as you very well know, and we have  _nothing_. Berk will starve. And that's  _your_  fault!"

"I didn't do it on purpose! If you'd let me explain, the Zippleback, it…"

"I do not care for your explanations, because I do not believe them," she spewed. "Clearly, you did know what I'm talking about. You're just too much of a monster to take responsibility for what you've done."

"Fine, then don't care!" the Phantom bit back, now reciprocating her anger. "After all, your village could probably do with a little less feeding. A reduction in the dragon-killing population would help me out a lot!"

"Oh, you're just so full of yourself, aren't you!?" she raged. "Small oversight,  _mister Phantom_. When a village starves, it's not the warriors who die first. Most certainly not. Me, the chief, everyone else, we'll endure. We'll keep the fight going." Although in truth, she did not even know whether that was true. Chances were, no one would make it. Nevertheless, she continued: "You know who die instead? The children, the elderly, the sick. Those that couldn't even hurt a dragon if they wanted to." She scoffed. "You said you're not a killer. But you are. You are a humongous hypocrite. There's no way we'll get everything up and ready again before winter, no matter how hard we work. People will die. And you'll be responsible. The death of innocents will be on  _your_  hands."

"But the Zippleback…" the Phantom tried once again.

Revelling in how she seemed to finally have the upper hand for once, she interrupted him: "Shut up! Shut up about the Zippleback! Yes, you're right about the dragons! By Thor's  _fucking_ Hammer, I know you're right! But it doesn't matter! Because what you did, what you're still doing, is so incredibly, incredibly wrong!"

The Phantom didn't reply, leaving the arena silent instead. It surprised her; considering she'd admitted he was right about something, she'd expected at least some sort of smartass comment in return. His silence did give her some much-needed time to regather her thoughts however. After the confusion she'd felt when coming out of the arena a few days ago, the shape she'd found Berk in had made everything extremely clear. It had given her the wake-up call she'd sorely needed; no matter what she believed about dragons, her village came first. And the Phantom was most certainly no friend of hers. Not even close. He was her enemy.

"Then what now?" the Phantom finally said, his voice oddly soft. "Why are you even here, Astrid?"

She smiled confidently. After all this time, she finally felt in charge once more; she was taking back control, rather than letting the Phantom control her. He didn't scare her. She had more important things to worry about.

As she walked around the arena and opened the empty cells one by one, she explained: "I'd like to take tonight to say goodbye to Stormfly." After finishing her lap, she walked towards the dragon, who was still eyeing her warily after her earlier outburst. As she hugged her and softly stroked her scales, she could feel Stormfly relax beneath her touch. She smiled at the dragon. "It's not her fault after all." Then, looking sharply at the arena's walls, hoping the Phantom would catch her glare: "But after tonight, you and I are done here. I don't affiliate myself with heartless murderers."

"Okay," the Phantom simply replied.

That took her aback. "I didn't expect you to stand down that easily," she bit.

"It's what we agreed to, isn't it?" the Phantom replied, sounding slightly dejected. "Either we continued, or you'd leave. You've made your choice."

It did not sit right with her that he agreed with her decision this easily, but she decided to ignore it and turned back to Stormfly. The Phantom did not matter. She couldn't possibly care for someone like that.

After a while of wisely keeping his mouth shut, the Phantom decided to discard that wisdom just as Stormfly and her were in the middle of an intense game of fetch. "So what do you expect me to do tonight? Plot how to kill you because you've decided to leave me?" he asked, with something that was apparently a sense of humour to him.

"I wouldn't put it beyond you," she bit, agitated as a result of his intrusion.

"There's no reason to do so, really. I mean, you won't tell anyone in Berk about this because that'd mean your head goes off before mine, so what do I have to lose? I –" the Phantom uninvitedly elaborated.

"Can you keep your mouth shut?" she interrupted him. "I don't care. Kill me if you want to. I'll just be another person to cross off your list."

"Astrid –"

"Don't," she rolled her eyes. "Gods, if you really can't keep your mouth shut, just finish your story about Rome from the other night. At least that has nothing to do with you and everything I despise about you."

"Alright," the Phantom replied, seemingly regathering his senses. Shortly after, he asked, some of his usual strength back in his voice: "Where was I?"

"You were talking about some church," she groaned. She hated herself for even remembering.

"Ah, Astrid, it's not simply some church, to the people of Rome, it is  _the_  Church," the Phantom set off, moving on to a detailed description of Rome's religion. As much as she was starting to dread the sound of his voice due to everything associated with it, the Phantom's excellent storytelling abilities did make time go considerably faster. After a while, he got so much into it that their fight and the anonymity between them seemed very far away; although that fight had been quite one-sided. After all, the Phantom had done remarkably little to shoot back at her; he'd sounded oddly resigned. Still, it wasn't difficult for her to remind herself of the kind of person the Phantom was.

As the Phantom moved on to elaborating about the ancient Greek and Roman gods, Stormfly finally seemed to tire of their game and moved to nuzzle Astrid's braid, indicating to her that she was done. She gladly took the Nadder's head in her lap – although it hardly fit – while sitting down against the arena's wall, listening to the rest of the Phantom's story. Gods, how she hated him. Eventually, her curiosity did get the better of her however and made her break her intended silence. "Who are your gods?"

"My gods?" the Phantom asked, seemingly taken aback.

"Yes," she replied, regretting her decision to speak up already. Of course, the Norse gods were the only real ones; she couldn't imagine anything else being true. People in other parts of the world seemed to think differently, however. "What's your truth?"

After realizing that this was a question she would never get an answer to, the Phantom's reply took her by surprise. "Naturally, the Norse gods are mine," he answered. If he'd spoken the truth, that meant he'd actually given her a clue about his identity, she realized. "But I believe my fate is in my own hands," he continued.

She scoffed. "That's awfully vain and arrogant. Not sure what else I expected."

"The Greek actually have a word for that."

"Do they now?" she asked, already feeling like her non-hostile attitude had lasted long enough.

"Yeah," the Phantom replied. " _Hubris_."

" _Hubris_ …" she repeated, letting their conversation die out.

She did not talk to the Phantom again that night, instead spending her time cuddling with Stormfly and taking in her features one more time. She had undeniably developed a soft spot for the dragon in the short amount of weeks they'd spent getting to know each other. When she eventually spotted the sky's slowly lightening colours, she got up to tell the dragon goodbye. She did not know whether Stormfly understood that this was a permanent goodbye, but she decided against explaining it further. She simply couldn't stand the thought of breaking the loving way the dragon looked at her as she gently rubbed her hand over her nasal horn one more time. She felt convinced once more that the Phantom was indeed right about dragons; however, she could never fully agree with someone who was willing to sacrifice human lives this easily. It had always been her people or the dragons, and it still was. And she'd finally made the choice that was right for her. Had she been able to make it earlier however, she might've been able to spare herself some heartache.

Slightly pained but resolute nevertheless, she retreated into her now familiar cell for the last time. The Phantom let the lock fall into place and for a moment she thought that'd been the last of him. His voice, softer than she'd ever heard it before, soon followed however.

"Good night,  _Astrid_."

* * *

Her face acting out an expression of distraught and misery, Astrid faced the chief of Berk head on as he got her out of the cell that same morning. She did not have to explain much; the open cell doors had already done most of the work.

"He got them out, Stoick," she explained nevertheless, gesturing around at the arena. "He just…  _ignored_ me…. I – " She bit her lower lip, taking in a deep breath. "My plan failed." She hung her head. "I'm sorry, Stoick."

Berk's chief simply embraced her for the second time in the span of a few days. Nothing else needed to be said and she couldn't help but smile as she returned the gesture. As unconvincing as she was sure her act had been at times, it was done now. With the weight of her lies off her shoulders and the feeling that her life was truly back in her hands, she personally felt strong enough to face the upcoming winter, as hard as it was going to be. She'd finally put her own struggles behind her and she would gladly take Berk's worries upon her shoulders once more, as she always had done and should've done all along. Finally looking at things more clearly now, she didn't know what had kept her so long.

From then on, the days went by quickly. She spent most of them being too busy to think about anything else than the task at hand, which was an ease and clarity she thoroughly welcomed. She gladly spent her time slaving away at Berk's farms, preparing the village's remaining fishing ships and outfitting the few warships the Phantom hadn't destroyed to be usable for fishing as well. She almost felt guilty for the sense of joy she felt, caused by finally being among her fellow villagers again and by life seeming more simple. She was reminded by the severity of their situation each time she laid eyes on Stoick the Vast however, whose stature seemed to crumble under his responsibilities more and more each day. The sight did not just affect her, but severely impacted the rest of the village as well, as whispers indicating the people's worry about the chief's health circulated more than any of Berk's usual gossip. If they did not keep going however, they soon had to be concerned about everyone's health.

Astrid still had vivid memories of one particular winter many years ago. A ruined harvest and depleted fishing grounds had left Berk's provisions severely diminished, although they were nowhere near as small as they were right now. The winter itself had been a very tough one as well, Berk's frozen harbour and what seemed like a near-perpetual blizzard preventing them from doing anything to improve their situation; traders did not come in for months and they were unable to produce anything themselves. Disease had spread through the village before they'd known it, with the sick eventually being quarantined in the Great Hall to prevent the illness from spreading further. She'd been lucky and strong enough not to catch it, but some of her less healthy peers had not been as fortunate. Those who hadn't died before spring had made it through the winter by the skin of their teeth, including the chief's own son. Images of the severely malnourished children still haunted her, even though she had not properly understood just how close it had been for some of them until she was older. And if they did not work hard enough, this winter would be even worse.

Astrid worked until she was completely exhausted and only slept until she had enough energy to get going again, which made the days quickly blur into one another. The dragons had luckily left them alone at night thus far, seemingly satisfied with their earlier bounty. On what she believed was the fifth day, she was working on building a make-shift food storage together with Snotlout – as annoying as the boy was, his lifting capabilities came in handy for manual work like this. Eventually, an increasing amount of noise coming from Berk's harbour drew her attention.

"What's going on over there?" she asked her temporary companion.

Snotlout, looking up a bit dumbfound with three nails held between his lips, shrugged. She pulled up an eyebrow and gestured for him to go take a look while she finished nailing together the planks she was working on. Snotlout jumped up, still overly eager to agree to her requests – she'd told him a long time ago that  _nothing_  would  _ever_  happen between them – and hurried towards the spot from where one could just see Berk's docks. She barely had time to shake her head in contempt before Snotlout came running back.

"It's – a – boat," he panted, leaning his hands on his knees.

She pulled up an eyebrow. "It's a harbour, of course there are boats."

"A – trader's – boat," Snotlout explained, gesturing wildly without strengthening his case.

Her eyes widened and she dropped whatever she was working on; it could wait. A trader could save their skin, and even though Berk did not have much to trade at this moment, she was known to be particularly… persuasive when it came to getting a good deal. "Come on," she gestured, running towards Berk's cliffs, Snotlout following suit with a pained groan.

As they scaled down the cliffs towards Berk's docks, she could see they weren't the only ones who'd recognized the opportunity. The boat did not look familiar to her, but she was sure she could get something out of it nevertheless. Reaching the docks, she quickly elbowed through the gathered crowd until she eventually bumped into Stoick the Vast himself, who was looking sternly at their saviour, flanked by Gobber. She didn't recognize the trader; it wasn't one of Berk's usual visitors. He looked skinny, his face white as snow despite the amount of hours he must spent out on the ocean, and he had basically zero muscle mass. She could see why he'd chosen this particular profession.

"Like I said, sir," the fragile trader stammered, gesturing towards his boat. "All of my wares are yours. For free. Ph-Ph-Phantom's courtesy."

Frozen in shock, she listened to the chief's response. "Like I said, we don't want your wares."

"But I've got bread, and meat, and vegetables!" the trader tried, still trembling on his feet. "At the Phantom's request!"

"I don't need anything from the Phantom!" Stoick bellowed.

"Stoick, it's food, I mean, shouldn't we at least –" Gobber tried.

"It could be poisoned for all we know, Gobber," the chief countered.

"We can test for that, Gothi and I could –" Gobber attempted to reason with him.

"He has done enough, Gobber!" Stoick argued, showing his stubborn side.

"Do we have a choice, chief?" Astrid interjected. Berk's chief looked behind him, noticing her audacity. "Yes, it's a risk, but at this point, isn't all of Berk starving to death pretty much a certainty?"

Stoick frowned and grumbled something under his breath, before picking the trader up from the dock with ease and swinging the poor man over his shoulder. The trader sputtered for a bit, but then seemed to admit defeat as he realised there was no universe in which he would get out of the chief's grip.

Stoick gestured at Gobber. "Alright then. Get Gothi and the Ingerman boy – he knows his herbs – and check everything. And when I say everything, I do mean  _everything_ ," the chief added. Then, he proceeded to point at Astrid, Snotlout, and his father, Spitelout, who were all standing close. "You, you, and you." Stoick looked around a bit before spotting Ruffnut and Tuffnut hanging from the mast of one of the other ships, trying to get a better look at whatever was going on. "And unfortunately, you two," he pointed. "With me."

Astrid hurried after the chief as he marched through the crowd, the trader's face becoming even whiter than it already was. Their little procession caught quite some odd looks from Berk's villagers, but the chief did not seem to mind. He eventually put the man down in one of the rooms in the back of the Great Hall, which was normally only used for private meetings with other chiefs.

What followed after that were hours and hours in which they interrogated the trader to the best of their abilities. They worked in pairs; Astrid and Stoick were team 'Seemingly-reasonable-but-not-afraid-to-use-violence', followed by Snot and Spitelout – 'We-argue-more-with-each-other-than-with-you-but-when-we-actually-focus-we're-quite-intimidating' – and as a desperation measure, Ruffnut and Tuffnut would be sent in – 'You-think-you're-driving-us-crazy?-Please-allow-us-to-prove-we-already-are'.

However, after they'd spent the rest of the day interrogating the trader, he still refused to give them any more information about the Phantom – who he was, where he was and most importantly, what reasons he had for delivering a boat full of food to them. Things got even more confusing when Gobber came back with the results of their tests the following morning; even their most obscure trials – Astrid did not want to know how exactly they did those things – had not been able to find a single trace of poison. The food was completely clean and perfectly edible, which Gobber could gladly confirm as he was relaying this information to them with a piece of wonderfully-smelling sausage in his mouth.

Later that day, after their mysterious trader hadn't told them anything new besides the story he'd spun several times now, their situation got even stranger. Another trader ship had docked at Berk, full of food, to be delivered to Berk for free; courtesy of the Phantom. And another one, with the same explanation, arrived later that day. Towards the end of the day after that, they had a total of five traders locked up in different places throughout Berk.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Stoick grumbled as they reconvened a few hours later. "What did you find, Gobber?"

"I know it sounds hard to believe, Stoick," the blacksmith answered. "But so far, it's all clean. We're still testing of course, but the food seems perfectly fine."

The chief of Berk shook his head in frustration. "I just can't wrap my head around it. Why would he send us food, after blowing it all to Hel himself first?" After no one answered his sort of rhetorical question – they were all wondering the same thing after all – he turned to the twins. "Did you manage to get anything new out of the traders?"

Ruffnut shook her head. "Nope, they all keep telling roughly the same, useless story."

"They were asleep on their boat at night, the Phantom came and told them:  _If you don't sail to Berk and drop everything there, I'll kill you_ ," Tuffnut added, using his best spooky voice. "They were scared to death, they never saw him, yada yada yada, and now they're here."

"That's the short version," Ruffnut summarised. "We've left all the traumatised cowering out, although it was very enjoyable to watch."

"That it was indeed," Tuffnut smilingly concurred.

"Maybe my fist to their face will help them with their memory," Snotlout groaned.

"I doubt that will help, boy-o," Spitelout disagreed with his son. "I'm all for violence, but last I saw was that they looked worn out enough already."

"So then what do we do now?" Astrid asked.

Her question was answered by silence, all of their gazes eventually resting on Stoick. "The Phantom can't be trusted. Since the traders aren't giving us anything more, I propose we release them and send them on their way, ships filled," Stoick eventually concluded.

"Stoick," Gobber started. "As much as we all obviously hate him, the amount of food these traders have brought… It's almost enough to get us back to where we were. And we all know we most likely won't make it through the winter without it."

Stoick took a look at all of their faces, each one nodding in agreement with Gobber. Finally, he sighed. "You're right, Gobber. This is not about my pride. Berk's people will always come first." He stood up from his chair, seemingly having regained his decisiveness. "Tell the people to start unloading the ships. Gobber, check everything nevertheless. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, see if you can get any more out of the traders. Once their ships have been emptied, I'll give them my best regards and will send them on their way." He took a look at the remaining faces. "The rest of you can get back to work."

With that, the meeting broke up. As they stepped out of the Great Hall, the sky was already dark and Astrid decided to head home, hoping she could make up for some of the sleep she'd lost in the past days so she'd feel renewed the following day. She quickly greeted her parents, who'd just come back from one of the emergency fishing trips – which had resulted in a worryingly small catch – and headed up to her room. She swiftly kicked off her boots and landed on her bed. Tiredness setting in, she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

The past week had been an absolute whirlwind. From near-desperation, caused by the Phantom, to what seemed like salvation, also caused by the Phantom. She despised how, despite her having torn herself away from him, he still seemed to be present in every inch of her life. Like there was seemingly no getting away from him.

As happy as she was that Berk's troubles were seemingly resolved, she couldn't shake the nasty feeling that was attached to it. The question as to why the Phantom had decided to help them out still remained. And with the traders refusing to tell them anything more – although, being able to relate to them quite well, she had come to believe that the traders simply did not know more – it didn't seem like that question would be answered anytime soon. Stoick was right; it did not make sense, especially when she tried to connect his actions to the Phantom she had somewhat come to know. He was someone who didn't seemingly do things without reason. Who always had a motive. Had his goal been to get on Berk's good side? She'd heard the whispers in the village; some people did seem to believe the Phantom had saved them, the fact that he'd caused this mess himself seemingly already forgotten. But why would he possibly want to get on the good side of the island he thoroughly seemed to hate?

She wanted to convince herself that she did not need an answer to her questions. Berk would get through the winter, they'd live to fight against the Phantom another day, and that should be it. Still, as much as she tried to make peace with that solution, she found she simply couldn't. As sleep refused to take her, she grew increasingly restless, trying to come up with whatever she could to improve her situation. Despite their conversations hardly ever being personal, she couldn't help but feel that she had seen a small part of the Phantom's soul, provided he had one. And she longed to find out why this soul had decided to save Berk from its demise. She thought back to the last conversation they'd had. She'd been too overcome by rage to notice, but the Phantom had sounded awfully dejected, his usual confidence gone. He'd almost sounded  _sad_.

Astrid got out of bed, lighting a candle and moving towards her window. What little she could see of Berk seemed to have quieted down, most villagers seemingly put at ease by the feeling that disaster was averted. Still, without answers, she couldn't feel that her village's safety was truly guaranteed. As she gazed across Berk, she found herself wondering whether the Phantom would be around tonight as well. Outside of raid nights and the nights they spent together in the arena, she had no idea what usually kept him busy.

Staring out of the window, she couldn't help but conclude that the only person who might be able to give her the answers she so much desired was the Phantom himself. Despite the voice in the back of her head telling not to, she found herself putting her boots back on. She needed those answers. For her village's sake, for Berk's safety, and for herself. She took one more look outside to see if there was anyone who possibly could've seen her, then blew out her candle and agilely climbed out of the window. Torn by her decision but seeing no other way to appease her confused and restless mind, she disappeared into Berk's night – into the Phantom's night.


	9. Angel Of Music - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally changed chapter title! We're moving on to the next song in the Phantom of the Opera; I'll leave it up to possible fellow fans of the musical to think about what that might mean ;)
> 
> Please enjoy!

Darkness surrounding her, Astrid quickly realised that if she wanted to talk to the Phantom, she actually had to find him first. She didn't know whether he was even around, but if he was, there was one place she might find him. Or where she might be able to draw his attention. The arena.

The moon just barely lighting her way, she sneaked through the village, occasionally assisted by a stray lantern. Luckily, she knew the way from Berk to the arena by heart. She snatched one of the lanterns away nevertheless, shielding its light with her body until she knew she was out of sight. Accidentally stepping off of one of Berk's cliffs would be an awfully anticlimactic end to her existence, after all.

Eventually, she reached Berk's arena, dimly lit by the torches that burned there almost permanently. It was quiet, with only the sound of the black sea crashing against the cliffs far below her drowning out the constant thumps of her own heartbeat. Nevertheless, she had to finish what she'd started.

She took a quick tour around the arena's surroundings to make absolutely sure she was completely alone, before walking up to the arena's edge, softly leaning on the ironwork that was still there. Taking a deep breath, realizing how stupid she was going to sound, she called, softly: "Phantom?"

Her question was answered by nothing but silence. Once again she called, louder this time, wondering if he maybe hadn't heard her. "Phantom?"

Silence again. She sighed and bit her lower lip. This had been a stupid plan to begin with. As a last resort, she began to make her way down to the arena's inner ring. Stepping into the middle of the arena, she called once more. "Phantom?"

Her call had been so loud it bounced off the arena's walls, echoing back into her own ears. Still, it was met by nothing but a silence that was just as deafening. She cursed under her breath, kicking away some stray pebbles with her boot. How had she even thought this had been a good idea to begin with? She turned to leave, swearing to herself not to ever spend one more thought on the Phantom; it was a waste of time. Then, she froze in place.

"I'm here."

His voice filled her spirit; a strange, sweet sound echoing in her ears, taking her back to all the nights she'd spent in the arena. She waited for his harrowing catchphrase to follow, but it never did. She began to wonder whether it'd all been in her head in the first place. Then, he finally continued. "Why are you here, Astrid?"

The way her name rolled off his tongue made her shiver; he was speaking more softly than he usually did. Still, she couldn't let their ´reunion' bring her off her game. "I needed to talk to you."

"I thought you never wanted to talk to me again."

"Well, the circumstances have changed," she bit. "What are you trying to pull on Berk?"

The Phantom scoffed. "A simple 'thank you' would have sufficed."

"Why would I thank you for anything?" she asked sharply. "You have to have a motive; I quite simply can't see why else you would help Berk. There has to be more to it."

"Well, Astrid, it's very simple," the Phantom replied.

"Then tell me," she demanded.

"You were right."

Those were three words she never would have expected to come out of the Phantom's mouth. They took her aback, confused her. "What do you mean?"

"You were right about what I did."

Still feeling like she lacked a proper explanation, she taunted: "I don't think you could possibly mean that. For all I know, you gave us food just so you can blow it up again when you feel like it."

She'd expected the Phantom to bite back at her, but his voice remained calm. "You told me I was right about dragons. It's not beyond me to recognize you were right about something as well." He paused for a moment. "I simply hadn't seen it yet myself."

Astrid remained quiet, not sure what to say. The earnestness in the Phantom's voice made her wonder whether he was actually telling her the truth. Still, she could not allow herself to believe a word this man said.

As she prolonged her silence, the Phantom eventually spoke up. "Whatever problems I have with Berk, I have never meant to kill anyone. I've told you that many times. But you were right. Through my actions, I would have been responsible for many deaths and for the deaths of those I have no quarrel with. Children, especially. But I didn't see it, blinded by my hatred and spite." The Phantom paused, seemingly processing his own words. "So I had to make it right. Over the past week, I have done everything in my power to do so. And by what I've seen from Berk, I think I've succeeded." His ever-present arrogance did not escape her. "Although I do feel bad for the poor traders, especially after what they've been through on Berk," he joked.

She didn't reply to his confessions, not sure as to what she could possibly say. She didn't know what to think of them.

"Astrid, do you believe me?" the Phantom eventually asked.

"Maybe," she eventually replied. What other answer could she give? As honest as he  _seemed_ to sound, how could she know for sure that he wasn't playing another game? That there wasn't a deeper, more malicious reason he was doing this? His sudden generosity just seemed so out of character.

"That's enough for me," the Phantom answered softly.

Silence surrounded them once again, minutes eventually passing. Astrid didn't know what to say, yet she couldn't bring herself to leave yet either. It simply did not feel like everything had been discussed quite yet.

As their mutual silence dragged on, slowly becoming uncomfortable, the Phantom finally asked: "So what now?"

"I suppose things will go back to normal. I won't be 'guarding' the arena anymore." She smiled wryly. "Berk will push through the winter and we'll live to fight another day. To fight you another day," she added softly.

"I wish it wasn't like that."

She scoffed. "Sure you do. It takes two parties to fight a war."

"Astrid?" the Phantom asked, sounding almost beckoning, ignoring her sly comment. "What will you do during raids?"

She froze, realizing she hadn't considered that yet. Berk had been lucky enough to not have been raided in the past week, so she hadn't exactly been forced to come up with an answer so far. "I don't know," she admitted.

"You could help me," the Phantom proposed.

She laughed at the ridiculousness of his suggestion. "Why would I ever help you?"

"It makes sense if you think about it. We share a common goal, after all."

"And that would be?" she asked sceptically.

"I don't want to see the dragons hurt. And if you truly believe that I'm right about them, neither should you."

She bit her lower lip. He was right about that; the thought of burying her axe into a Nadder's skull had become very disquieting. Even if that Nadder wasn't Stormfly. "My village comes first. I can't possibly put dragons before Berk," she replied nevertheless.

"I'm not asking you to," the Phantom countered. "But, as much as I try to, I can't be everywhere at the same time. As much as they seem that way, those dragons aren't completely out of their mind; scare them badly enough – without fighting them – and they'll snap out of it and scatter off. It's what I usually do. If you'd do the same, you could protect the dragons  _and_  your village."

"So you will have more time to wreak havoc? To destroy some houses, ruin people's livelihood?" she bit.

"I could probably be more… tactical. And just as effective nevertheless."

She shook her head. "I can't collaborate with someone like you."

"What do you have to lose, Astrid? For you, how much worse could it possibly get?"

"There you go again," she pointed out. "You continuously threaten me, either subtly or less so. Why would I ever trust you to hold your word?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

She sighed in frustration. "It doesn't work like that! I just don't…" She paused for a moment, waving her arms around in exasperation. "I just don't get you!"

"What don't you get?"

"Why? Why me? Why us? Why Berk? Why don't you just  _leave_   _us alone_? Surely there are other places with dragons to save. You told me before that Berk is just one of them. I don't get it. Just what is your  _goal_?"

"Astrid," the Phantom simply said.

"What," she bit, not necessarily asking a question.

"Did it ever occur to you that, in all the stories I told you about Europe and beyond, I never told you about the dragons there?"

Now that he pointed it out, she realized that he never had indeed. When he described the islands in the Archipelago he'd discovered, he usually told her detailed stories about the dragon species inhabiting those islands. When talking about regions further away however, he told her about buildings, people, civilizations. But he had never mentioned dragons.

An unsettling feeling arose in her stomach. "Indeed, you never did."

"That's because there are none," the Phantom stated. She frowned as he continued. "Surely, the climate here probably suits the dragons better, but they did live in Europe before. They did not disappear through natural causes." He paused for a moment. "Everywhere I went, everywhere I asked, I was told the same thing. The people there had hunted them until there were none left." She could almost hear him take a deep breath. Something in his voice had broken. "No matter how far I travelled, no matter how far I went, I found nothing but more emptiness. Outside of the Archipelago, dragons had gone extinct. And at the edge of the known world, I found myself with nothing, and nothing to fight for. Or to live for."

The Phantom went silent, but she didn't reply, sensing he wasn't quite finished. Eventually, he indeed added: "The Archipelago is the only place where dragons still have a chance to live. To live freely. I owe my life and my freedom to them, and I want them to have that as well. So I came back. To free the Archipelago once and for all. To fight the queen, to fight the Vikings and to give the dragons the freedom they so much deserve. Berk is just one of the islands involved in the conflict, you're right about that. But I don't have much further to go. This is where I have to be, right here, right now."

His story had overwhelmed her and left her without a reply for a moment. Even though he hadn't precisely answered her question about Berk, and most likely never would, she did feel that he was telling her the truth. The passion and pain with which he'd laid out his origin story simply made it impossible for her to believe he was still lying. It grounded her so much that she almost missed the slip-up in his story.

"You said you came  _back_ ," she spoke slowly, realizing what that meant. "You're from the Archipelago." Then, her voice trembling: "Are you from  _Berk_?"

"No. I'd just visited the Archipelago before," the Phantom simply countered.

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to," the Phantom conceded.

The Phantom came from the Archipelago. Maybe even from Berk, originally. It made sense; he'd said the Norse gods were his as well. Was it possible he was a Viking after all? She knew he wouldn't answer if she asked. Still, she could not help but feel that there was more to his story. The extent of his tales implied that even if he was from Berk, he'd have to have left many years ago. She couldn't think of anyone specific, but maybe someone else would. She just needed more time, and more information.

"Fine," she decided.

"Fine what?"

"I'll help you. It's not like you'll stop what you're doing anyways if I say no. At least this way, I'll have a say in it."

"Thank you, Astrid," the Phantom simply replied.

"Are we done here then?" she asked, speaking quicker than she'd meant to. She needed to get out of here, to sort out herself and her thoughts. The Phantom's story was almost starting to make her feel… sympathetic towards him.

"What if I need to talk to you?" the Phantom asked.

"Why would you possibly need to talk to me?" she bit.

"We might have to discuss our  _collaboration_. Cooperation is nothing without good communication, after all."

She rolled her eyes in frustration. She didn't know what to expect of their agreement and was annoyed to admit he had a point. "I assume you've stalked me enough to know where I live?"

"Your assumption is correct."

"I suppose you could knock on my roof at night. Three times, so I know it's you," she started.

"I could join you in your room too," the Phantom interrupted her.

She wasn't having it. "Then, I'll come to the arena. And we'll talk here. If I feel like it."

"Sounds like a plan," the Phantom answered triumphantly.

"I hate you," was all she could say. What had she gotten herself into? Once again, she was doing exactly what the Phantom wanted from her. She'd been unable to refuse.

"I know you do."

She shook her head in exasperation and turned around to leave. She'd had enough of this for one night. "Good night,  _Phantom_."

"Good night,  _Astrid_."

* * *

Only a few nights later, Astrid was awoken by the sound of Berk's bells and horns. The dragons had returned.

She practically shot out of her bed, putting on her boots and gathering her stuff. She'd done this a million times before, yet tonight she felt as nervous as the very first night she'd no longer been on fire dousing-duty. Which made no sense; she simply had to scare away as many dragons as she could. How hard could that be? It would probably be a lot easier than killing them. However, it was most likely the implications of what she was about to do that caused her anxiety. She was collaborating with the Phantom. To protect her village, sure, but she still couldn't fully justify it to herself.

Dagger strapped to her hip, battle axe on her back and a beautifully smoked eel hidden under the fur coat she wore now that the seasons were starting to change, she headed downstairs. Her parents were already gone; they were usually one of the first to answer the village's distress calls. It was expected of the Hoffersons, after all; they were warriors, protectors above anything else.

Shaking off whatever her family's legacy had to say about her current actions, Astrid stepped outside and took a look around Berk. Dragons were soaring through the sky above them, occasionally landing on one of Berk's rooftops or diving down to snatch away a stray sheep – one of the few Berk hadn't slaughtered in its earlier desperation. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, and she had to make sure it stayed that way.

As her eyes surveyed the village, she figured that if she wanted to succeed, she might have no choice but to actually take a lesson or two out of the Phantom's book. She'd always fought the dragons reactively; having always believed that they were nothing more than unreasonable murder machines, just slaughtering every dragon she caught sight of seemed like the most logical thing to do. It was the most Viking thing to do; brawn over brain, as the Phantom had gladly pointed out to her many times.

Instead, she might be more effective if she used the few things she'd learnt to  _anticipate_ where the dragons would go. If she was able to get to a dragon before it even laid a claw on something, that might allow her to prevent it from damaging anything altogether. With the added benefit of her like-minded Vikings probably not being there yet, which would give her the time and space to do whatever she needed to without being caught. No one had time to notice her diminished appearances anyways; if anything, they'd gotten used to it over the past months.

She knew that Stoick had guards permanently set up at their new food storages, so she didn't have to bother with those. Not that there was much in there that'd interest the dragons anyways. They'd go after Berk's livestock and its fish – as much as others argued against her, she knew better than all of them that dragons  _did_ eat fish.

She ended up surveying the few spots she figured the dragons would be most drawn to; Berk's farms and fishing ships. All the while, she kept her eyes on the night sky, watching the dragons' every move. After a while, their seemingly erratic behaviour slowly started to make sense. She was increasingly able to get to the dragons' targets before they did, to successfully scare them off with a battle cry, an intentionally missed axe-throw or the sight of a certain sea animal. It came surprisingly easy to her and it was incredibly effective. The Phantom was right; the dragons could be scared away with very little effort if you didn't pick a fight with them. They either fled to the sky, looking for a new target, or completely disappeared altogether, seemingly snapped out of their frenzy.

As she was making her way through the village, chasing a Zippleback she felt was heading straight for Silent Sven's farm, she was distracted by a whiny noise, joined by a dragon's cry. She quickly laid eyes on the source of the noise; Snotlout was doing his best to talk up to his dad, the both of them leaning over a Gronckle, trapped under one of Berk's nets.

"No, dad, I'm sure chopping off its tail would be  _way_  more painful," Snotlout whined.

"Nuh-uh, boy-o," Spitelout replied, shaking his head. "You want to crush its skull with a mace. That'll make it hurt."

"But dad, I want it to die  _slowly_ …"

Drowning out their appalling argument, Astrid realised that they didn't intend to take the Gronckle to the arena to put it in captivity; they were going to kill it. She took a look at the dragon, who was struggling to the best of its ability, trying to free itself. The net was weighted however; there'd be no way for the Gronckle to get out on its own.

As she looked at the Gronckle's clearly scared eyes, she couldn't help but feel that this wasn't right. Unless someone intervened, it would die. And if Snotlout got his way, quite painfully so.

She hid behind one of Berk's buildings, still occasionally peeking at the scene to make sure the Gronckle was still alive; luckily, Snotlout and his father gladly continued bickering. She had to find a way to get them away from the Gronckle, so she could free it without being seen. How was she supposed to do that though? The Jorgensons wouldn't simply leave if she asked; they were too proud to give up on their prey. She had to create a diversion of some sort, but how…

As if the gods had heard her, Berk was startled by a loud blast which made the ground beneath her tremble. Covering her ears as a reaction to the sound, she spotted the Jorgensons doing the same before frantically looking around. As the three of them recovered, Spitelout seemed to have caught sight of the source.

"It's the armoury!" he shouted, scrambling to make his way there. "Come on, boy-o!"

"But dad…" Snotlout whined, gesturing at the trapped Gronckle.

"The dragon can wait! It's not going anywhere," Spitelout insisted, and Snotlout soon followed his father.

Astrid smiled and began to sneak over to the captured dragon. This was exactly the sort of distraction she'd been looking for. It was absolutely perfect. Suspiciously so, she realised. It couldn't have been a coincidence. It had to have been the Phantom's work.

She crouched as she got to the Gronckle, who instantly reacted to her presence by moving even more and by trying to cough up some lava; the dragon's stomach seemed to be completely empty however, as nothing but a few small clouds of smoke came out of its mouth.

"It's going to be fine," she whispered as she got her dagger. Cautious, but as quickly as she could, she started to cut into the net. "I'm here to help you."

The Gronckle stopped struggling as it seemed to realise what she was doing. Soon enough, the dragon was out and without taking another look at her, it floated away. She smiled and looked back at her handiwork. The net was completely ruined, but maybe that was for the best. She grabbed one of the nearby torches and set its remnants on fire, making it seem as if dragon fire had burnt its non-metal parts away, any proof of her actions erased. She didn't feel guilty. She'd done the right thing.

When morning finally came, it was time for Berk to make an inventory of the past night. Besides the Jorgensons' egos, there had been zero serious casualties, both dragon and Viking. The amount of food that had been stolen and the number of buildings destroyed was significantly lower than usual. Their armoury however had been completely burnt down, most of its contents either reduced to ashes or bent by the heat in such a way it'd become unusable. That was a sacrifice she was able to live with however. Even though the people of Berk likely didn't see it that way, she felt this might have been one of the best outcomes they could've hoped for. For both sides. And as much as she tried to supress it by telling herself that she, no matter how well-intended her actions were, was still a traitor, she couldn't help but feel at least slightly triumphant. Her plan – their plan – had worked.

* * *

_Tock_.

Astrid stirred, the sound of a stray tree branch hitting the roof waking her from her sleep.

_Tock_.

She groaned at the annoying noise. Was it storming? She yawned and pulled her blanket over her ears.

_Tock._

Then, her mind finally became awake enough to notice the silence that followed after the third knock. The Phantom wanted to talk to her.

She sat up in her bed, wondering what to do. It was the night after the raid and she still desperately needed to catch up on some sleep. However, for all she knew, it could actually be important. Deciding that meeting him would at least still her curiosity and, still riding the high of the successful raid night, she got out of bed, fixed herself up and snuck out of her window.

With the rest of Berk as sleep-deprived as she was, she encountered no problems in getting to the arena unseen. As she approached however, she spotted a figure in the middle of it, the lack of light making it impossible to figure out who or what it was. Her heart made an awkward little jump. Had the Phantom finally decided to show himself?

As she made her way down into the arena, she was met by a surprise that was just as, if not more pleasant. A huge smile appeared on her face. "Stormfly!"

The Nadder greeted her as excited as ever and they practically rushed towards each other. Astrid threw her arms around the dragon's neck, hugging her tightly. She couldn't deny that she'd missed this; that she'd missed her.

After they'd finished hugging and Astrid had apologized to her friend for not bringing her favourite pebble with her, she couldn't help but put out there what was on her mind.

"Why did you bring her?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

The Phantom laughed – genuinely, it seemed. "No Astrid, Stormfly's completely fine. I just figured we should celebrate after what was a pretty successful raid, if you ask me. You know, have it be like old times."

She laughed and softly stroked Stormfly's wings. "I'm just going to ignore most of that and say thank you."

"You're welcome, but the gratitude is all mine." The Phantom paused for a moment. "You did well."

She rolled her eyes, not going to let the Phantom break her out of her cheery mood. "Well thank you, mister Phantom," she quipped sarcastically.

"I'm actually serious. I should thank you for saving the Gronckle's life. And that of many other dragons, albeit less directly."

She shook away his compliment. "I couldn't have freed the Gronckle without your help."

"But you would've tried, even without me. That's what impressed me. I –" The Phantom hesitated, seemingly looking for words. "Thank you, Astrid."

She found herself smiling slightly at the earnestness in the Phantom's voice. "How come you're being so nice these days? It's so not like you," she teased. "From what little I know of you, that is," she quickly added, not wanting to seem too comfortable. How many times did she have to keep reminding herself that the Phantom was her enemy? It frustrated her that that thought did not just come naturally to her. Especially after how angry she'd been last week, she should still be able to feel at least a remnant of those feelings, right?

"Let's just say you gave me some time to reflect on my actions. I figured I might be able to achieve more by not being a  _complete_  pain-in-the-ass," the Phantom joked.

"And what is it you want to achieve?" she couldn't help but ask.

"An already very fruitful cooperation," the Phantom quipped.

She only laughed and shook her head in reply.

"And, occasionally, some quite enjoyable conversation," he added.

She rolled her eyes once again. "If I didn't know what kind of a messed up freak you are, I'd almost think you're coming onto me."

The Phantom laughed. "Would that be such a bad thing?"

"Well, to begin with, I don't even know what you look like," she joked. "Or how old you are, et cetera, et cetera…"

"And you never will," the Phantom reassured her. "But don't worry, I'm not quite old enough for any of this to be creepy."

"I could not care less," she lied. "But I wouldn't mind it if you were nicer."

"Only if you play nice as well."

"We'll see about that," she teased.

"And if you keep up the good work of course," the Phantom shot back at her.

She saluted awkwardly. "Astrid Hofferson, Traitor and Dragon Rescuer, at your service."

They both laughed, their conversation dying out. Astrid had to mentally scold herself for the way she was joking around, turning her attention back to Stormfly to keep her busy. At times, conversations between them just seemed to flow with an ease she had hardly ever experienced before. With anyone. Still, the bad experiences she'd shared with the Phantom heavily outweighed the good.

"Hey Astrid?" The Phantom eventually broke the silence, something he was prone to doing.

"Hm?" she replied.

"What's your goal?"

"Huh?" The simple question confused her.

"You asked me what my goal was, and I told you. Now I'm curious what yours is."

It took her a moment to reply. The Phantom had asked her questions often enough, but usually with the intention of making her feel stupid or to seed doubt. This was the first time he'd asked her something that was really about her and who she was.

"I want to protect my village," she eventually answered. "It's what I was born to do."

"And after I end the war with the dragons?" She didn't fail to notice how he made himself the actor in that, rather than simply saying 'after the war ends'. "Will Vikings just start fighting each other again?"

"I'd hope not." She'd like to say she was sure, but with the Berserkers and the Outcasts living not too far away, disaster could potentially strike any second.

"Then what will you do once the war with the dragons is over?"

She found herself without an answer. The war between dragons and Vikings had been going on for generations; it had become such a certainty that she couldn't imagine life on Berk without it. She'd trained and worked her whole life to become the best dragon killer, to prove herself worthy of protecting her village. Of course she did not know whether the Phantom would actually end the war or if it was mostly big talk, but if he did, what would that mean for her? What was her place in all this, if there were no more dragons to defeat? What would her value be?

"I don't know," she finally admitted.

"No Mr. Hofferson to go home to and enjoy domestic life with?" the Phantom teased.

"No. Besides, I highly doubt that's the kind of life-style that'd fit me." The thought of being a housewife, taking care of the children and other mundane everyday activities made her insides convulse. She couldn't imagine a life more boring.

"Then what?" the Phantom prodded.

"I don't know," she bit, agitated by her own uncertainty.

"Well, you might want to start thinking about it. Because it won't be long until I defeat the queen," the Phantom teasingly boasted.

She couldn't help but smile at his classic overconfidence. "I'll believe that when I see it."

They spent the rest of the night throwing quips back and forth, without much actual insult behind it, until her lack of sleep finally got the better of her, making her say goodbye to Stormfly and head back home. Still, Astrid felt something deeply unsettling make its way up to her brain, burying itself deep within it. The Phantom had managed to unearth an insecurity she didn't know she had. Indeed, if the war with the dragons was no more, where did she actually want her life to go? Who was she, when the fighting was done? Who did she want to be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Astrid… It would be much better for her sanity if she could simply stay away.
> 
> Little bit of an announcement; I will unfortunately be busy with exams the coming two weeks, so unless I find some time (which is highly unlikely), I won't be able to update until somewhere in the week of December 17. So no worries, I'm not abandoning, real life simply has to come first for a bit!
> 
> I will leave you guys with a little spoiler/teaser to make up for it; with what I've currently got planned, the next chapter will most likely finally feature some more... romantic content. I'm excited, and I hope you are too!


	10. Angel Of Music - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back! Thanks to those of you who've wished me luck with my exams; I think they went well enough. Also once again many thanks to those of you who leave comments and kudos; even if I don't reply, I do read every single one of them and they really lift my spirits and motivate me to write more!
> 
> As promised, this chapter will contain some more romantic content. Should probably be rated T. It also turned out waaay longer than I'd initially intended it to be, but splitting it up didn't feel right. That's all I'll say; I'll just leave you guys to it. Enjoy!

Before she'd known it, Astrid's life had soon become one of habit. Albeit an awfully strange one.

Ever since her reunion with the Phantom, she hadn't been able to shake the notion that he might originally be from Berk. She didn't know how reasonable her suspicion was, but she figured that the least she could do was follow up on it. Apart from the preparations for winter and her increasingly common nightly escapades, she did not have much on her plate after all.

She'd started by asking around the village to see if anyone had left Berk or had gone missing in the past 10 to 20 years, especially under suspicious circumstances. Anyone who'd left since then, she'd personally known. She soon found this number of people to be  _way_  higher than expected however, and even though administration wasn't exactly her strongest point, she was eventually forced to keep an increasingly expanding list. After one week, most of which had been spent in Gobber's workshop – the blacksmith was one of Berk's number one gossipers after all, she found herself with quite a large number of names. People had had various reasons for leaving. To start a family with someone not from Berk, in an attempt to escape the dragons' violence or because exile wasn't a word that Stoick tended to use officially. Most of the names in the last category belonged to members of the Thorston family however; the result of a very insightful afternoon with the twins, which had made her start to wonder if Ruff and Tuff were really that bad after all.

Unfortunately, no one had stated 'sympathizing with dragons' as their reason for leaving. There were a few women who had called for a more peaceful solution throughout their lifetime, but nothing of Phantom-calibre. And she was looking for a man, after all. Then again, it was also perfectly possible that someone had only developed those views after leaving Berk. Or that the Phantom hadn't lived on Berk himself, but that he was the son of someone who had.

She was looking for a needle in a haystack, but she wouldn't stand down that easily. Slowly, she'd gathered a wide array of nodes and other scribbles, containing as much details as she could unsuspiciously get about these people. If anyone asked, she simply told them she wanted to know more about Berk's history. She wasn't sure if they believed her, but it usually did get her better stories, which allowed her to deduct some of these people's character traits. If she could then cross-reference those with the Phantom's stories and character, she might be able to cross off a few people. Baby steps mattered too, after all.

As a result, she'd started to approach the Phantom differently. He'd made it a habit to knock on her roof after every raid night – which occurred more this close to the start of winter. He'd bring Stormfly by and they'd usually just…  _talk_. They'd always talked a lot before – although the Phantom did most of it – but this time around, something felt different. He'd kept up his softer demeanour ever since their reunion and he felt  _lighter_ , just like their conversations. His threats, albeit still present, had a more playful tone to them and, as odd as it sounded due to the accent he religiously managed to keep up, he laughed more. Even though he still wasn't giving her anything useful, his stories were more complete; sometimes, he'd even mention something he'd done, or how he'd reacted – although only when talking about faraway places, so there was nothing for her to deduct from it.

And as much as she'd tried to resist, she hadn't been able to stop herself from opening up in return. She knew it was wrong, but it was so much easier than consistently keeping up a stern and stoic attitude. It simply felt more… natural. In her search for similarities between the Phantom and what she knew about the people on her list, she'd started to pay attention to his character. And how could one not occasionally laugh along with someone who was so sarcastic and yet playful, youthful in a geeky way, at the same time? Despite still not being on board with the way he went about things – lethal casualties or not – it was becoming hard for her to deny that it was possible he had some redeeming qualities after all.

She still worked with him during raids as well. Morally condemnable or not, they were incredibly effective. Even though they never communicated during a raid, she knew he was looking out for her. Just like on that first night, she knew it was him who got her out of uncomfortable positions with more ease than she could've on her own. He'd made sure to tell her time and time again how thankful he was for her cooperation, and he'd kept his word in return. In the past raids, there had still hardly been any collateral damage to Berk, nor any casualties. Her own axe was one of the few weapons Berk still had left at this point however, leaving the village basically unable to protect itself. But they didn't need to; the Phantom and her were taking care of that, and she was slowly starting to believe he wouldn't turn that trust to use it against her. If he wanted to do so, he could have done so by now, after all.

With things looking up for Berk, peace between dragons and Vikings didn't seem as much as a fantasy to her as it had before. She wished there was a way to show the people of Berk that; despite their mutual hatred for each other, she couldn't help but feel like a collaboration between the Phantom and Berk could be extremely fruitful. Both sides would never have any of it however, not right now. She would have to do.

"You know, this is kind of taxing on my health," she yawned, softly stroking Stormfly's horn. It was another night after raid night, with morning soon approaching. They had once again been successful. "Hardly getting any sleep two nights in a row is not exactly something I'm used to."

"Then sleep during the day," the Phantom suggested.

She laughed softly. "Oh yes, that's not suspicious  _at all_."

The Phantom stayed quiet for a moment. "I could stop coming by," he finally responded.

She felt her breath catch in her throat. Was that what she wanted? It didn't feel like it. "If that's what you want," she answered, trying not to show her conflict.

Another moment of silence. "I'd gladly knock on your roof every night," the Phantom spoke.

She ignored the way her heart skipped a beat. "No need to get dramatic," she quipped. "Just moving things up one night should do the trick, right?" She still had to find out who he was after all.

"On one condition," the Phantom stated. She could sense a smile in the way he spoke.

"And what that might be?"

"That you let me knock on your roof more often."

And she had agreed. The Phantom kept his word once more. He'd softly tap on her roof about once every three nights. And at this point, she almost felt some sort of disappointment on the nights that he didn't. She wasn't afraid of Berk finding out. They hadn't so far, after all. The Phantom had always protected them.

But, even though her life had seemed to be getting a lot better lately – after all, how could it have gotten any worse? – there was something she could not shake. The seed of doubt the Phantom had planted in her head a few weeks ago was starting to grow, slowly consuming her in those moments when she did not have anything to keep herself occupied with. With peace seeming like such a tangible idea, what did she really want out of life, aside from protecting her village? What was her purpose, if there was no more protecting to do? She knew it was all very hypothetical, but still, she couldn't help but wonder. Her lack of a deeper purpose, of a deeper, more personal drive, unsettled her.

So, she'd started to consider her options. Paths her life could possibly take. There were the obvious choices; settling down and spending the rest of her days taking care of her children, and their children after them. Problem with that was that she didn't know anyone worth settling down with, apart from the prospect seeming utterly boring. The "bachelors" of her age on Berk were hardly eligible and none of the boys had ever caught her eye in  _that_  particular way. Stoick had had the nerve to ask her once whether Snotlout wasn't an option, so they'd at least have a competent future chieftess, but she'd shut that down convincingly enough.

She could learn a trade. Even though she didn't have the spark he was looking for, Gobber would certainly be able to use the help. She could take over one of the farms; Silent Sven was starting to age too, after all. Berk certainly didn't have enough bread-making Vikings either. Fishing was lucrative as well. Or maybe Gothi was looking for a successor…

No matter how often she thought about it however, she never found anything that truly seemed to work. And increasingly, she found herself looking towards the horizon, with nothing but the Archipelago's sea in sight. She'd always known there was more out there, but now things just seemed so much more… in reach. And so, her mind increasingly wandered back to the Phantom's stories.

Maybe one day, she could see for herself if they were indeed true. She would like to see some of the dragon species the Phantom had told her about. Razorwhips, Deathsongs, herds of Deathly Nadders, likely to contain some of Stormfly's distant family. She could visit Rome and Constantinople, see the amazing structures he'd told her about, built by people long ago. She could try their food, learn their languages, become so much more than just a Viking. Like the Phantom had done.

Still occupied by the same fantasies, she found herself at dinner with her friends. Even though the first snow hadn't fallen yet, winter was upon Berk. Their days were becoming shorter and the temperatures outside more freezing. She often found herself hauled up in the Great Hall, taking in its warmth, especially after a frigid night with the Phantom.

She was sitting next to Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins opposite of her. She hadn't really been paying attention to their conversation, lost in thought until Tuffnut poked her arm with his fork.

"Ow!" she winced, shooting Tuffnut a glare.

He shrugged. "You weren't replying."

She shook her head. "Sorry. What were you talking about?"

Ruffnut's eyes lit up. "The Phantom." Of course. When were things ever not about him? "We were wondering how you were doing in the arena."

She waved the question away. "I stopped doing that over a month ago."

Tuffnut leant towards her over the table. " _Why_ , Astrid?"

She returned his glare. "Because it's a waste of time, that's why."

Snotlout snorted. "Quitter."

She pulled up her eyebrows. "So you guys are still going, huh?" She took a look at the four faces surrounding her.

Fishlegs innocently put up his hands in response. "I was out weeks ago. Like you said, more useful things to spend my time on."

Tuffnut dramatically slammed his fist on the table, sending one of his potatoes bouncing off the table. Ruffnut promptly caught it, putting the whole thing in her mouth instantly. "Of course we're still going!" the male twin answered.

"We've almost got him," Ruffnut chimed in, somehow speaking through her potato.

Now it was her turn to scoff. "Do tell."

Her cocky attitude earned her Snotlout's usual glare. "This is our project, Astrid." The twins nodded in response, which seemed to fuel Snotlout's unjustified confidence. "It's our plan, and you clearly don't want to be a part of it. So shut up, Astrid."

She just shook her head in response. She knew better than to shoot back at Snotlout. If they wanted to continue wasting their time, that was their loss. Not her problem.

Attempting to change the subject, she pointed her knife at no one in particular. "Other question. Do you guys ever wonder about, you know, what's out there?" She nodded towards the door. Occupied by her daydreams, she hoped someone else would feel the same way. It seemed like such an amazing adventure, after all.

"I think you'll have to be more specific, Astrid," Fishlegs responded.

"Just,  _the world_. I mean, there's more than just Berk, right?" she explained, waving her knife around as to indicate something big.

Snotlout shrugged. "Don't really care."

Tuffnut joined him. "Berk's our  _hunting ground_ , Astrid!" Ruffnut nodded in agreement, still trying to work down Tuff's potato.

She turned to the boy beside her. "What about you, Fishlegs?"

Fishlegs looked at her with uncertainty. "The world sounds cool, but I haven't even seen all of Berk yet. Exploring a tiny island by foot already takes ages. How much time would the world take?"

"Besides, I've heard that if you sail too far,  _you'll_   _fall off the edge of the world_!" Tuffnut chimed in.

 _You won't_ , she wanted to retort. The Phantom hadn't fallen off the edge of the world, after all.

As her friends' conversation veered towards the absurd once again, she was overcome by a sense of loneliness. They didn't understand her curiosity, the way the world had slowly started to pull her. How could they after all? They hadn't heard the Phantom's stories. They had no idea what could be out there.

She resigned herself to the knowledge that the Phantom was the only one who might be able to somewhat understand her in this sense. While her friends didn't. That didn't mean she could start considering the Phantom as anything close to a friend, however. But what  _did_ she consider him to be?

* * *

"Stormfly, spine shot!"

The dragon responded instantly, shooting a few of her tail spines in the direction Astrid was pointing in. They bounced off the arena's wall and landed on the floor with a clattering sound.

She smiled at Stormfly, softly stroking her horn. "Good girl." She walked to the other side of the arena to pick the spines up from the floor. She liked the way they felt in her hands; enough weight to allow them to serve as excellent throwing knives, and not too heavy. Awfully pretty, too.

"I'm still not sure whether teaching you how to weaponize her was such a good idea," the Phantom quipped. "You two are getting awfully good at this."

"It's not like she'll turn on you," she laughed. "I've seen the way she reacts whenever you mention her name. I still come in second."

"Not a bad second option, though."

"There is something else I would like you to teach me, however," she tried while softly stroking Stormfly's wings. Ever since her conversation with her friends, she'd been thinking about something Fishlegs had said. The world was too big to explore by foot.

"And what might that be?"

"Teach me how to fly her," she responded, the ridiculousness of that statement not escaping her.

"Why?"

"Come on, I know it's possible!" The more she'd thought about it, the more it had started to make sense. "How else do you get everywhere the way you do? To Berk, to the rest of the world. We've looked for a boat that was supposed to be yours often enough. Never found it."

"That doesn't answer my question though. Even if it were possible, why do you want to fly her?"

"Because it's cool?" she tried.

"You're not that one-dimensional," the Phantom retorted. She wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment.

She paused for a moment, not sure whether to share what'd been weighing on her heart. "I think I'm starting to figure out what my goal is."

"What do you mean?"

"What you asked me a while ago. What my goal is. Well, I've thought about it."

"If you feel like sharing, go ahead."

She bit her lower lip. She couldn't really lose anything by sharing this. "I want to find out if your stories are true. The Archipelago, Europe, the world… I want to see it for myself." She laughed softly to hide her unease. "I know it sounds silly, I mean, things on Berk aren't even close to being sorted out yet, but I just… I can't help it! It's…"

"It's calling you," the Phantom interrupted her. She nodded. "Believe me, I get it. It did the same to me," he continued.

"Exactly!" she replied, startling Stormfly with her sudden enthusiasm. "That's why I want to learn how to fly! I mean, like I said, you  _must_  know how to!"

"And how would you expect me to teach you?" the Phantom asked, neither confirming nor denying her suspicions. "Unless you'd have enough control to stay really low, I can't help you from here."

"Then don't stay here," she suggested. Alongside with wondering who the Phantom was, she couldn't help but imagine what the Phantom looked like. From the way he spoke, she couldn't get further than that he was likely a young man; everything besides that remained a mystery she couldn't crack.

"I won't do that," the Phantom simply replied.

She knew there was no use in asking why not. Instead, she diverted her attention to Stormfly's scales. She'd known it had been a longshot to begin with. "Of course not," she bit.

"Look, Astrid, if things were simpler, I'd teach you. But they aren't." The Phantom paused. "But I'm glad to hear you're starting to figure things out."

Not wanting to talk about it any longer, she bounced the question back at him. "What about you?"

"I thought we'd talked about my goals?" the Phantom asked, confused.

"I mean after all of this is done. When the queen is dead, what will you do?"

"In all honesty; I haven't really thought about it yet. I guess I'll go wherever my services are required." He laughed. "And when I run out of places like that, who knows, I might actually settle down."

She smiled slightly. "I guess even people like you do that at one point."

"Well, we're really not that different after all."

Slowly but surely, she felt she might believe that. Still, there was a whole swamp of complicated stuff surrounding every good word or intention that came out of the Phantom's mouth. And they weren't quite done draining that yet. If anything, they'd only just started.

Their conversation dying out, she wrapped her fur mantle around her. Despite the extra layer of clothing, the night air felt frigid as ever. And, as if the gods had heard her thoughts, she felt something wet hit her cheek right then. Raising her hand, she watched something tiny and white land on it. The first snow of this winter.

The next snowflakes followed a lot quicker than expected, dousing the arena's torches. Stormfly looked around, seemingly disquieted; Astrid didn't know what snow felt like to dragons, but she couldn't imagine it was very comfortable.

"Let's get her into one of the cells," the Phantom answered her concerns.

Putting her hand on Stormfly's horn, she slowly led the dragon into the cell she'd become so familiar with. The cell was dark as there was no more light coming in from the arena, but Stormfly didn't seem to mind and quickly settled into one of the corners.

Slightly cold herself and not feeling completely comfortable in the dark, Astrid rubbed her hands together. "Stormfly, could you give us some light here?"

As the dragon opened her mouth, the Phantom interjected: "No, Stormfly, don't." She promptly closed her jaws in response. Of course, Astrid was still in second place.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"I don't see why we can't have some light while doing that."

"Astrid, just… Just listen, okay?"

Resigned, she leant against the wall behind her, wondering what was up with the Phantom this time. He sounded odd. More odd than usual.

"As you probably know, dragons don't usually raid during winter," the Phantom started.

"Uhuh."

"And I think we can now say that winter has  _definitely_  arrived."

"Yeah?" She got a feeling that she didn't like where this was going.

"So that means I will leave Berk too."

That took her aback more than she'd anticipated. "Oh," she simply uttered. She wanted to ask why, but couldn't get the words across her lips.

The Phantom answered the question nevertheless. "There's no reason for me to be here when there are no raids, after all. I usually do… other things during the winter."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"So if there's anything you still want to ask, I guess now is the time," the Phantom stated. The awkwardness in his voice brought a small smile to her face.

"I can't really think of anything," was all she said in response, even though she always had thousands of questions for him. Who are you? Where are you from? Why do you  _talk_  to me? Why do you talk to  _me_? Questions he'd never give her an answer to, especially if he left. "I mean, I'll miss –" She caught the words coming out of her mouth just in time to correct them. "– Stormfly." She wasn't sure how convincing she'd sounded. It was true, but it wasn't what she'd intended to say.

The cell stayed quiet for a second before the Phantom replied, softly. "I'm sure she'll miss you too."

Astrid didn't know what to do with the words hanging between them. Hers hadn't meant exactly what she'd said. Did the same go for his?

She shook her head, trying to snap herself out of it, ignoring the slight shiver that went through her body. It didn't matter. She shouldn't consider the Phantom a friend, or anything else.

"Can I get some light now?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood with practicality. "I'm kind of starting to freeze."

She turned to Stormfly, intending to pat the dragon before asking for her services. At that moment however, two hands closed around her wrists, followed by a voice, softer and closer than she'd ever heard it before. "Please don't."

Time stopped. The Phantom's hands, larger than her own, with slender fingers, were wrapped firmly around her wrists. They weren't holding her in place with force however. They were simply…  _holding her_. At any previous point in time, she would've torn her hands loose to reach for the dagger strapped to her hip. But she didn't. No matter how much she told herself to do it, she couldn't get her body to make the right movements.

Instead, they simply stayed like this. Frozen in time, while minutes passed. As the sound of her heart beating rapidly in her ears started to die down, she realized she could hear something she'd never heard before. That he'd never let her hear before. She could hear him breathe.

"What are you doing?" she eventually muttered, her mouth feeling incredibly dry.

She could hear him exhale in a way that sounded like a soft smile. She couldn't see him, not even an outline, but she could picture it nevertheless. "You said you were cold. I am offering a solution." His voice sounded different. Still unrecognisable, but lower, with a softer edge to it.

She didn't know how he could still come up with a smart comeback at a moment like this. Personally, she couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, she simply mirrored his move, folding her own hands around his wrists. They were as slender as his fingers, concealed in what felt like leather gloves. She might not be able to see him, but he felt incredibly real nevertheless.

His grip on her wrists loosened, allowing her to move more freely. She could easily stab him, but instead she found her hands releasing his wrists and slowly wandering upwards. She couldn't see him, but this was her opportunity to get to know him, even if it was just a little bit. Her fingers traced his lower arms, up to his elbows and his biceps. From what little information she could gather, they weren't particularly muscular, but they felt good nevertheless. It was hard to get a good impression however, as he was completely covered in what felt like a combination of leather and some sort of ribbed structure she couldn't quite place. Eventually, her hands hit his shoulder pads. Slowly tracing her fingers over them, along the same ribbed structure, she found his chest.

She rested her hands flat against it, feeling his chest rise and fall as she could hear him breathe slowly, heavily, her own breathing pattern slowly starting to match it. She carefully explored what seemed to be his body armour, still unable to figure out what he was wearing, but getting a sense of his figure in return. He was taller than she was, his torso resembling the same slenderness as his arms. He indeed didn't feel much like a Viking to her. Still, she'd confirmed her suspicions; she couldn't imagine anything else than a young man currently standing in front of her.

"Dragon scales," he whispered, partially snapping her out of her mesmerisation, before his voice pulled her right back in. She didn't know what she was doing, but couldn't find the strength to stop either. She supressed the voices in the back of her head, still telling her to kill him. Those were Berk's. Not hers. Her voice wanted to learn more about this man, about  _the Phantom_. She needed to know the face that belonged to this body.

Slowly, she lifted her right hand, leaving her left on his chest, his careful breathing putting her at ease. She slowly reached upwards, finding his neck. Internally, she gasped, as her cold fingers finally touched hot skin. She could hear him hiss in response, but he didn't tell her to stop. He was warm, she could feel his pulse beneath his skin. He was human, above anything else.

Gathering her bravery and daring herself to go further, she reached upwards, to where his face was supposed to be. She found the same ribbed structure – dragon scales – once again. She realized he was wearing a helmet, which seemed to be made out of the same fabric combination as whatever else he was wearing. As her fingers explored it, she found its lower part moving slightly. Realizing it had to be a visor, she lifted her other hand and moved it upwards. Settling her left hand back on his – broad – shoulder, she gently laid her other on his right cheek.

In some ways, it was as if she was touching another human being for the first time. The heat of his skin warmed her hand, sending a small jolt of excitement through her veins. She was surprised at the smoothness of his skin, covered with a small amount of stubble. She wasn't sure what she'd expected instead. She'd expected nothing, but still not… this.

She felt him slowly lean into her touch, allowing her to feel his clearly defined jaw. She didn't know why he was letting her do this, what reason he had for finally "showing" himself. But she needed to hold on to this moment, to get as much out of it as possible. She moved her hand to find his nose, before moving it to the side of his face, trying to pry his helmet off. Just as she started to feel what seemed to be his hair, one of his hands grabbed her wrist.

Slowly moving her hand back down, the Phantom softly broke their silence. "Astrid." She heard him sigh. "Please, no."

The sound of her name sent a shiver across her spine. With considerable difficulty, she asked: "Why not?"

"Astrid, I –" the Phantom started, interrupting himself to take in another deep breath. "Astrid, I hate absolutely everything about Berk."

His words felt like a shard of ice flying straight into her heart. She took a step back, pulling herself from his grip. It made her regain her breath. She wasn't sure why that statement had that effect on her – she had always known that after all. It had been one of the few undeniable truths about the Phantom. "Of course you do. I mean, I know, I…"

She felt his hands land on her shoulders, closing the distance between them once more. She couldn't feel his body against hers, but she could feel the heat coming from him standing closer than he had before.

"You have to let me finish talking," he whispered, laughing slightly. "I hate absolutely everything about Berk. I hate its forests, its buildings, its mountains, its people."

She didn't really know how this was supposed to improve the situation, but she couldn't help but notice the sound of his voice sounding even closer by.

"I hate everything. I despise it." He paused. "Except for you." She could feel his hot breath on her face when he spoke those last words, leaving her skin tingling.

She didn't know what kind of declaration this was supposed to be, apart from the fact that it was one. Attempting to calm her heart down, she shot back: "That's not an answer to my question."

Her heart only sped up however as she felt air hitting her face as a result of him softly laughing. His breath hit her face again, close enough this time for little droplets to form on her skin from hot air hitting cold. He softly pressed his nose against her cheek, seemingly exploring her face, orienting himself in the dark until the left side of his nose was leaning against her own. She could feel his breath tingling on her lips. Then, his touched hers.

Her world felt as if it was being rapidly turned upside down. The kiss was as soft as his lips were, as sweet as his words had been, but also as fleeting as his presence usually was. Way too soon, he separated himself from her, leaving her hot and slightly trembling.

"This is wrong," she uttered. "We're enemies, I…"

She felt his gloved hand softly cup her cheek, his measured breaths still touching her face indicating how close he was. "But it feels right, doesn't it?" he asked, sounding as if he was looking for the answer himself as well.

"I don't even know what you look like," she stuttered.

"Yeah, lucky me," he whispered. "I've had quite enough time to take in how incredibly gorgeous  _you_  are."

A smile appeared on her face. Right then, her questions no longer mattered. The what, the who, the why. The only thing that still existed was them, him, his hand on her shoulder, his other hand on her cheek, his face so incredibly close. Her questions could wait. Berk could wait. Berk would have all winter to wait. This moment was just for them. For her.

Still unsure, but more decisive than she'd felt throughout the past months, she wrapped her hands around his neck. Slowly, she closed the distance between them that still remained, firmly pressing her lips against his.

It was slightly clumsy due to the fact that she couldn't see, but she couldn't describe what she felt as anything else than her insides slowly melting. Her heart felt as if it was going to beat out of her chest when he returned her gesture, locking his lips with hers. Her skin felt hot despite the cold and was tingling pleasantly. Once again, the Phantom had been right.  _This felt right_.

She could hear him moan softly, setting her on edge as he moved his hands, softly crawling under her mantle and wrapping them around her waist. He gently pulled her closer until her body was pressed against his. She gasped, revelling in his warmth, which slowly enveloped her. He used that opportunity to deepen their kiss, softly and tenderly exploring her mouth with his tongue. Carefully, hers met his, sending their kiss, their physical connection, to a new level.

Sooner than she would've liked, they separated, both of them audibly panting. He leant his forehead, which was still covered by his helmet, against hers. It felt a little clunky, but she didn't mind. She didn't have the mental capacity to worry about anything right now. She was completely overwhelmed by whatever this was.

"Astrid, I…" the Phantom started, but she didn't want to know what he was going to say. There were so many questions she could ask him, so many she could ask herself, but she didn't want to break the spell, afraid it would ruin the moment.

She shook her head. "Don't talk," she told him, reaching up to touch his cheek once more.

Seemingly taken her advice, she felt his mouth crash into hers once more. It was rougher this time, more lustful, and it momentarily took her breath away. Kissing him back just as eager, she felt him slowly push her backwards until she hit the wall behind her, stabilising the two of them. He moved his hands from her waist to her hips, holding her in place and letting her catch her breath before kissing her once more.

She hadn't ever kissed anyone like this before, nor had she been kissed in this way. She'd always found the Phantom intriguing; as much as she hadn't wanted to admit it, that was undoubtedly part of the reason she could never resist going back to him. She had never liked, let alone loved, him in any way, and she still didn't. But she couldn't deny that from the first moment they'd spoken, no matter how angry she'd been, or how much she'd despised him, there'd always been  _something_  that had pulled her back to him. She didn't know what it was; it could be his stories, how much he knew about dragons, the way he talked and constantly challenged her. But whatever it was, she was now completely overwhelmed by it, unable to feel anything else but the desire to hold on. She was slowly drowning in what seemed to be either his lust or affection for her as they continuously kissed and embraced each other. She didn't care which of the two it was for him; right now, it did not matter.

Feeling herself heat up, her hands wandered his body – which she realised she  _liked_  – looking for something more real to hold onto. She didn't find more than his body armour, but it was soothing nevertheless. She could feel him do the same. One of the hands resting on her hips crept upwards, finding the point where her shirt was no longer neatly tucked into her skirt. His fingers found their way underneath it and she could feel his gloved hand gently touch her skin.

That's when she broke. "No," she whispered, tearing away from their kiss, putting her hands on his chest.

His hands were off her so fast she could've thought he'd burnt himself. She could feel him step backwards, the pressure of his tall and slender figure leaning into her disappearing. "I'm sorry, I got carried away, I…" The Phantom paused. She could imagine him biting down on his delicious lower lip. "I should probably go."

She shook her head, closing the distance between them once more. She couldn't go further, but she couldn't let him go just like this either. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and simply hugged him. "Please stay."

After a moment of hesitation, she felt his arms on her back once again, staying above her mantle this time. Whereas their kisses had been hot and passionate, this just felt… sweet. "I can't stay, Astrid."

"How about just for tonight?" she asked.

She could feel him take a deep breath. "I guess I could do that," he agreed. "The snow probably hasn't stopped yet anyways."

"So you can't see in the dark either?" she joked, sensing a somewhat lighter mood.

"I can find my way, but I'm still human."

She smiled softly. "I know."

They stood there for a while, simply embracing each other. One of his hands rested on the back of her head, seemingly trying to pull her even closer to him. She didn't mind.

"Thank you," she eventually said.

The Phantom laughed. "For what?"

"For showing yourself."

"This doesn't really fit my definition of showing, but if this makes you happy, I guess it'll do."

"Why did you do it though?" she asked. As many questions as she had, that one was the most important one on her mind right now.

"Because I wanted to," he simply whispered.

She smiled. "I'm starting to think you might not actually be that bad after all."

"Well that's a big lapse of judgement," he deadpanned.

She laughed in response. Then, softer: "I just wish you'd stop hiding."

"Maybe someday," was all he said.

"You could tell me what you look like," she tried.

"No."

"What about your name?"

"Also no."

She sighed. "You're not going to tell me anything else, are you?"

"Not right now, no."

She didn't know what to do with that. If not now, then when? When would she even see him again? Not that she should want to see him again…

"Will you come back?" she asked softly.

"Unless you manage to single-handedly create peace on Berk, I will be back when the dragons come back," he quipped. "Don't let that discourage you from trying though."

"That's a long time without Stormfly, though," she countered. That analogy had done the job before.

"Well, it simply can't be helped. Phantom's got to do what a Phantom's got to do," he joked.

"How about you tell me another story then? To make up for it," she teased, releasing him from her hold to make sure she got his attention.

He laughed. "You really love my stories, don't you?"

"I do." She'd grown fond of Stormfly, fond of his stories, and now, slowly…

Releasing her as well, he grabbed her wrist, slowly leading her to what she knew was the cell's wall before telling her to sit down. She felt him sit down next to her, his leg, wrapped in armour as well, finding its place against hers, both of them leaning back against the wall.

"Any particular kind of story,  _milady_?" he teasingly asked her.

"Hmm," she thought for a moment. "Snoggletog's coming up soon. Do they celebrate that down in Europe?"

"No, Snoggletog is a Viking thing. However, they do know something called 'Christmas'…" he started, quickly falling back into his role as storyteller.

As he told his tales, she found herself leaning into him, which eventually earnt her an arm around her shoulder. He'd pulled his visor back down, but leant his head against the top of hers nevertheless. She was sure her hair would look like an absolute nightmare by the time morning came, but she didn't mind. He couldn't see her, after all. She wondered what his hair felt like…

Stormfly eventually joined them, putting her horn in Astrid's lap as she often did. Softly stroking the dragon's head, Astrid couldn't help but feel like, one way or another, this was the way things could always be. Even though she was with a man whose name she didn't know, whose face she had never seen, whose history she hardly knew, it felt  _nice_. There was a connection here, as if the three of them had been together like this before. It was comfortable. Comfortable enough for sleepiness to slowly take a hold of her as the night progressed. She hadn't slept well for months, plagued by… well, pretty much everything. Now, however, she finally felt somewhat relaxed.

She woke up to the lights of the morning sun, in a cell that was emptier than it had ever been before. She was still sitting against the wall, but without anyone there to support her. Outside, the arena was covered in snow, a Nadder's footsteps clearly visible within it. But no human ones to match them. The Phantom was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaah! Those were pretty much my feelings while writing this chapter. I've had this moment in my head for such a long time that it feels really satisfying to finally get around to writing it. It's been difficult, but I hope the result is somewhat pleasing.
> 
> What I would like your feedback on is whether the way Astrid goes along with it feels natural enough, given the circumstances. If not, I'll take some time to go back to either edit this chapter or to write another chapter to fit before this one. To me, it feels okay like this, but I've had these characters in my head for so long at this point that it's very possible that I've lost some sense of what is obvious to me vs. what is obvious to you as readers. Of course the next chapter will also contain some reflection on this chain of events, as Astrid has mostly just been very overwhelmed by the Phantom's unexpected move in this one.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	11. Angel Of Music - Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A (late) Merry Christmas everyone! I gladly present you with another chapter, which fits the holiday season rather well. It's slightly shorter, but I hope you enjoy nevertheless!

This winter felt like it was going to be the longest one Astrid had lived through yet. Or second longest, after the one of five years ago.

It had not been a dream. She really, actually, had been within arm's reach of the Phantom. She had embraced him. She had hugged him. She had  _kissed_  him. She had been laying comfortably against him until she'd fallen asleep. And then, he'd left her.

As much as she tried to, she couldn't keep her mind off the events of that night. She still did not know why she had done it. She had never had  _feelings_ for him, and still didn't, but she had to admit that there had just been something about him… And that something had completely overwhelmed her.

She wasn't sure whether she'd want to do those things again though. If she'd kiss him again, were she mentally more prepared. What would be the point? She couldn't start to like him while she didn't know a thing about him. Her village's worst enemy wasn't exactly relationship material, after all.

But, she did want to see him again. Even if that still meant not actually  _seeing_  him. As much as she hoped he would finally show himself, she knew the chances of him doing so were slim. If he would even appear at all. After all, he'd told her he'd be gone all winter.

Still, she did not want to give up that easily. At night, she'd sneak out of her house to go to the arena. There, she'd softly call for him, hoping he'd answer her just like he'd had before. But after two weeks of not a single knock on her roof and 14 nights of trying to call him herself, the arena had always remained completely silent. He'd told her the truth; he was actually gone.

With that realisation, a sense of loneliness came over her. As much as she tried to keep herself busy by wandering around Berk or its woods, she couldn't stop her heart from slightly aching. After only two weeks apart, she  _missed_ him. She missed his stories, his laugh, his presence, his warmth, his  _lips_ that had kissed hers so tenderly. Although mostly annoying, his mysteriousness did have some sort of sensuality about it, and she often wondered where else he could place those soft and tender lips, only to shut down that thought process as quickly as possible. She could not allow herself to use him as fantasy material. Still, she could not help but try to imagine what his face would look like if it kissed her in broad daylight.

As the weeks went on however, a sense of doubt came to accompany that of loneliness. Did he miss her too? And if he did, then why had he decided to leave for the whole winter? He'd told her nothing more than that he had "other things to do", which was as cryptic as things could possibly be. What if that wasn't true, and he had some other motive? What if anything he'd said that night hadn't been true?  _I hate everything about Berk, except for you…_

Evaluating her heartache, or perhaps trying to alleviate it, she was haunted by the possibility that he had once again been playing with her. He had always had her right where he wanted her. She knew that. What if, by creating the illusion that he actually  _cared_  for her, he was just trying to wrap her around his finger even further? And she was letting him succeed.

She couldn't let him do that to her. She had to be stronger than that. For her own sake, and for Berk's. If he was indeed gone for the whole winter, then maybe she could take that opportunity to finally get him out of her head. To forget about him. And by the time spring would come and the dragons would return, she could simply fight him once again. No emotional connection. Nothing complicated. She could watch out for the dragons without him too. A voice in the back of her head told her that it wasn't as simple as that, but she could at least try. She wasn't the kind of girl to get hung up on a guy.

And so, she set out to banish the Phantom from her mind. She stowed the list of possible identities she'd still been working on away in one of the chests in her room. She didn't need to look at it again. It didn't matter who he was.

Luckily, Snoggletog was coming around and preparations for the holiday were well on its way. It gave her an opportunity to keep herself busy as creating even more decorations was always well-appreciated. It'd give her a chance to reconnect with Berk as well. As much as the world was still calling her, if she truly wanted to forget about the Phantom, she needed to forget about the world and his stories as well. The world could wait. Berk would do for now. That's what she had to keep telling herself.

She spent the days leading up to the festivities mostly working on the giant tree in the middle of the village. Painting the planks with a beautiful shade of green, nailing them to the others and decorating them with whatever they could find – as shields were in low supply after the past year – took a lot of time but by the time she was done, she felt that she could say with confidence that this was the prettiest Snoggletog Tree Berk had seen in years. And judging by the compliments her fellow villagers gave her, they seemed to agree.

Taking on the Great Hall as her next project, it didn't take long before Berk was sparkly and shiny, and the evening of the big gathering in the Great Hall arrived before she knew it. She'd never been a big fan of dressing up, but she'd donned herself in a pine tree green shirt and dark red skirt for the occasion, so she'd at least fit the colour scheme. With a slightly forced cheery smile on her face, she was determined to make this Snoggletog one of the better ones she'd had in years.

Not that it was hard to have a good time in the Great Hall. With mead and ale flowing freely, people quickly got into the right mood for celebration. She never drank much herself, but greatly enjoyed watching those who did slowly become less and less coordinated as the evening progressed. She preferred to spend the night talking to and eating with her friends, and they were continuing that tradition this year.

She was again sitting next to Fishlegs, who usually joined her in the little-less-drunk-than-the-others department. The twins – whose dress-up nearly matched Gobber's, Ruffnut even having gone through the trouble of braiding little bells into her hair and Tuffnut pretty much being indistinguishable from a reindeer; completely covered in brown paint, antlers on his head – greatly enjoyed trying to outdrink each other however, with Snotlout just barely keeping up. She was sure the twins were at at least their tenth mug already and that it wouldn't be too long before Ruffnut's outfit would turn from Snoggletog-green to Barf-green. Although the twins did manage to surprise her year after year.

This year however, Astrid watched something truly miraculously unfold in front of her as Tuffnut went away to get another drink. It truly trampled anything she'd experienced over the past months. Snotlout slowly got up from his seat, slightly swaying, and asked Ruffnut  _for a dance_.  _And Ruffnut accepted_. As the two of them made their way towards the centre of the hall, which Fishlegs and her had an ideal view of, she simply looked at her companion with a completely blank face. She had no idea what just happened. The music was nice, but it couldn't possibly be  _that_ nice.

Fishlegs simply burst into a laughing fit, seemingly taking in her face with delight. Eventually, he shrugged. "Well, they have been spending a lot of time together."

"But – what – how –  _Snotlout!?_ " she managed.

"Don't ask me," Fishlegs giggled. "I haven't been Phantom-hunting in ages."

As Tuffnut made his way back to the table, sitting down with his back towards the dance floor, seemingly completely oblivious to how his sister and possibly his worst nightmare had both disappeared. Deviously, Astrid looked at Fishlegs, who smiled back at her, seemingly on board with whatever she was going to pull. No matter what you pulled, the twins usually deserved it, after all.

"So, Tuffnut," she started. "Have you still been looking for the Phantom?" As much as she did not want to talk about him, this time around it actually seemed worthwhile.

He took a while to respond, slowed down by at least two mugs of mead too many. "Yeah," he finally managed. "Me, Ruff, Snot. Good stuff."

She grinned and looked at Fishlegs as he asked: "So do you guys split up to cover more ground, or?"

Tuffnut simply nodded, his eyes lazily staring into his mug. "Yeah. Ruff takes care of Snot and I take the other route."

Astrid had to visibly contain her laughter as she realised how oblivious Tuffnut had been. She had logically had no idea what was going on, but Tuffnut had seemingly completely missed every sign. "Well, I'm not surprised they didn't find anything," she giggled.

Tuffnut looked slightly confused as Fishlegs added, chuckling as badly as she was: "Although, Astrid, you do have to admit that they must have been  _very_ busy nevertheless."

Unable to hold back any longer, the two of them burst out laughing, a confused Tuffnut visibly growing more agitated. "What are you talking about?" he asked, seeming to be slightly recovering from his alcohol-drowsiness.

As if right on cue, Fishlegs and Astrid watched Snotlout awkwardly wrap his arms around Ruffnut, pulling her closer and kissing her, visibly attempting to let his tongue make its way into her mouth. Trying not to instantly show her disgust, Astrid simply pointed at the two of them. Tuffnut, seemingly registering her gesture, turned around, looking for the source of her amusement. She was glad he'd left his mug on his table, because judging by his reaction, he most certainly would've dropped it otherwise.

Fishlegs and her giggled intensely as they watched Tuffnut get up from his spot, yell: "NOT HIM!" and make his way to the centre of the Hall, walking as much in a straight line as he possibly could. He tore Snotlout away from his twin and after an exchange of words Astrid imagined was hardly understandable, the two of them waddled outside, followed by a Ruffnut who seemed to be enjoying the coming confrontation between her brother and her lover more than she should.

"I think I have a fight to break up," Fishlegs excused himself, still chuckling loudly.

"You just want to watch," she pointed out, still laughing harder than she had with anyone but the Phantom in the past months. Fishlegs shrugged, admitting guilt, and she added: "I'll be with you in a moment."

Watching Fishlegs waddle off, she decided that the fight probably wouldn't get exciting for a few more minutes. Given how drunk both Tuffnut and Snotlout were, she highly doubted one would even be able to hit the other in the first place. Besides, it was a waste to let Tuffnut's ale get warm, so she picked it up from the table to enjoy it for herself. Berk's ale was the best, after all – not that she'd ever tasted any others.

Lost in thought and feeling too warm and comfortable to go outside in the cold for just one more moment, she suddenly felt the bench she was sitting on cave in. She looked beside her, finding no one other than Stoick the Vast.

"Chief," she blurted out, putting Tuffnut's mug down. "To what do I owe the honour?"

"Well, given that your friends are having a likely embarrassing fist fight outside, I figured I'd come and talk to you," the chief answered. She could spot a slight smile on his face.

"You saw that?" she chuckled.

"I see everything, Astrid," he reassured her. "But you know who I've seen surprisingly little of lately? You."

She stared into her mug, not wanting to meet Stoick's gaze, which would undoubtedly be piercing, but with a hint of concern. He usually looked at her like that. "Well, I've been around," she muttered. "I decorated everything after all."

The chief of Berk laughed. "Yes, I would actually say you've gone way over board. But I know you; and you're not really you. You always seem lost in thought."

It had been a long time since she'd had a heart-on-heart with Stoick. She figured some liquid courage might've helped him pull the trigger on the current one. "I've just had a lot on my mind, that's all," she murmured, not really knowing where this conversation was going.

"Astrid, look at me," the chief ordered her. Reluctantly, she looked up from her mug and found Stoick's green eyes looking at her. Indeed, with concern. "It's now been nearly five years," the chief continued. "And what did I tell you then?"

"That I should never be afraid to come and talk to you," she repeated.

"Exactly," Stoick nodded. "You know I care for you, Astrid. I've looked after you ever since –" He paused for a moment, a hint of pain flashing over his face. "Well, since you know when. So to have seen you like this for months, clearly not even remotely close to being yourself… It worries me."

She sighed internally. Although Stoick's concern for her was as heart-warming as it had always been, she couldn't ever tell him the whole truth. "It's just, with the Phantom and all," she admitted. "I still haven't caught him, I've failed, I…" She shook her head. "I just don't know what to do anymore." That was true, at least.

"But it's not just your burden to carry, Astrid," the chief reassured her. "Berk will always have your back. I will make sure of that."

"I know," she concurred, rubbing her hands together to hide her discomfort. "It's just, I…"

"You prefer to figure things out on your own first, if possible," Stoick completed. She nodded. The chief laughed wryly. "I am all too familiar with that pitfall myself. You spend so much time trying to take care of others, that you forget to take care of yourself."

"Exactly," she agreed, glad that someone had finally managed to put her struggles into words. Well, what she had struggled with initially, until she had started to get to know the Phantom… But she shouldn't be thinking of that.

"I'm sorry, Astrid," Stoick said after a moment of silence.

She laughed. "What could you be sorry for? If anything, I failed you by not catching the Phantom."

Stoick shook his head. "No, I should've taken better care of you. Spending months in an empty arena cell would be quite trying for anyone."

She smiled. "I can take care of myself by now, though. I turned twenty this year, remember? You don't have to worry."

Stoick smiled back at her. "Nevertheless, Astrid, I'm your chief. It's my job to worry."

She knew that. In a way, over the past years, Stoick had grown to be more of father figure to her than even her own father. They had a mutual understanding about most things, which made talking to him very easy. Feeling as comfortable as she did right now, she could hardly remember why she had avoided him so much over the past months. Why hadn't she simply just told him what had been going on at the time? That would've made her life so much easier. Ever since he'd helped her overcome what had transpired five winters ago – and she'd supposedly helped him as well – she hadn't been scared of or intimidated by him. Than why had she been so secretive now?

Stoick took another chug of the mug he'd brought. "Do you remember what we used to do before the Phantom started making our lives even more difficult?" he asked.

A slight smile appeared on her face. "Yeah," she nodded. "I'd come over once a week to have tea with you."

"How about we do that again?" Stoick proposed.

Her smiled widened. "I'd like that."

The chief of Berk simply smiled back at her. After a moment of agreeable silence, he slightly awkwardly got up from the bench. Closing off conversations had never been his strong point, she knew. "Alright then, I'll leave you to it. Good talk."

She laughed and nodded in agreement, watching Stoick make his way over to Gobber, who'd clearly had too much mead and was seemingly forgetting he only had two good limbs, which made him a danger to himself and the rest of Berk. The singing that accompanied said drunkenness had been echoing through the Great Hall for quite a while as well.

She smiled to herself while she finished Tuffnut's ale. It had been a good talk indeed. Berk really wasn't that bad after all. She just had to stop estranging herself from the people that cared for her. There were enough of those, after all. She didn't need the Phantom. She could leave him in the past. She just had to try harder.

Feeling content with the events of the night and wanting to hold on to how good she finally felt again, she decided it might not be such a bad idea to head home early for once. She got up and headed outside, partially hoping there would still be some traces of Tuffnut's and Snotlout's confrontation for her to catch. As she made her way through the door however, she bumped into Fishlegs.

"And, how was it?" she grinned at Fishlegs' obviously excited expression.

"I think we'll need a rematch when they're both sober, but," he told her with glee. "Tuffnut did manage to land one yak of a sucker punch right onto Snot's nose! He's probably still bleeding."

She giggled. "Well, that sounds like a rematch to look forward to. Make sure to let me know."

"So, what kept you busy?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged. "Chief came to talk to me. You know how that goes." Fishlegs nodded. "But I think I'm going to head off now. Don't want to go full Tuffnut," she added. Then, with obvious disgust: "Or Ruffnut, in case Snotlout reappears."

"Sounds like a wise choice," Fishlegs agreed. "Good night!"

She returned those words and headed out into the cold. While making her way through Berk, dimly lit by Snoggletog candles and lanterns, she could swear she saw a few droplets of blood in the snow. Giggling to herself, she quickly made her way home and up to her bedroom. Her parents were still drinking with their own friends so her house was filled with nothing but peace and quiet.

Tiredness coming over her, she simply kicked off her boots and threw herself onto her bed, not even bothering to close the shutters in front of her window to keep out the cold. Her blanket, clothes and despite her best efforts considerable alcohol buzz would keep her warm enough.

She felt content. Reconnecting with Berk tonight had felt good and she truly believed things would be better again from here. Ruffnut and Snotlout's apparently blooming relationship would make for a fun series of events – and she was relieved that that most likely meant Snotlout was no longer after her, even though she'd punched him hard enough for him not to try at all during the past year – and reconnecting with Stoick might allow her to clear her head. She could also spend some time listening to Fishlegs geek out, and…  _Tock_.

The sudden sound completely halted her train of thought as she tried to figure out what exactly she had just heard.

_Tock_.

Could it be? But why now, of all times… When she was just starting to feel  _somewhat_  okay again.

_Tock_.

It definitely was. He hadn't left her after all!

She practically shot out of bed and towards the window, just narrowly dodging something that flew at her through it, landing on the floor with a soft sound. Ignoring whatever that was, she anxiously looked out of the window, hoping to catch a sign of the Phantom. But he was nowhere to be found.

Not paying attention to how quickly she had neglected her resolution to forget about him, she lit a candle and decided to investigate whatever projectile had come at her. On the floor of her room, she found something small and black. Carefully lifting it with her one hand while placing her candle on her desk with the other, she quickly deducted that it was a leather bag. It fit perfectly in her palm. And there was something inside of it.

She placed the bag down in front of her and studied it intensely. The leather felt similar to how the Phantom's gloves had felt on her skin, although those had been slightly rougher, likely because of how often they'd been used. A delicate red string made out of a fabric she didn't recognize prevented the bag from falling open. She carefully loosened it, not knowing what she would find inside.

Reaching in after the string was undone, she first found a small sheet of paper. Lifting it close to her candle, she could make out a simple phrase:

_This is what I look like._

It had to be the Phantom's handwriting. The lines were soft, seemingly written with ease but they had a certain grace to them nonetheless. The actual words themselves made her heartbeat speed up however. What could possibly be inside that would show her what he looked like?

Eagerly reaching into the bag again, she found something small and wooden. It was only slightly smaller than her own hand and she curiously lifted it up so she could study it.

The sight alone made her freeze. Her eyes instantly locked with the green ones of the statuette she was holding. They pierced her soul, burrowing their way into her until they found the memories she had buried deep inside.

Her hands started shaking and she dropped her "gift" unintentionally, leaving it lying there on her desk, lit by nothing but a single candle. At any other time, she would've admired the craftsmanship. Its wings were carved out beautifully, the details of its tail beyond compare. But the black and green paint, which had been applied with an incredibly steady hand, made it so that she couldn't look past how it looked exactly the same. The same as the Night Fury that'd haunted her for so long.

Her mind froze, slowed down and sped up at the same time as she tried to figure out what it meant, why he had given her  _this_. But as the memories of all those years ago, of how she had deeply and thoroughly  _failed_ , came flowing back to her in gigantic waves, she eventually found herself shaking uncontrollably, her mind and her thoughts spinning out of control, becoming incoherent.

After she did not know how long, she moved away from her desk and got the sheet of paper she'd put away over a week ago. With her hand still shaking to the extent that her handwriting was probably unreadable to anyone but herself, she started to add another name to her list. It'd been an option she'd not let herself consider before, as leaving the past right there, in the past, had always been easier. But she couldn't ignore it any longer. He was technically still missing, after all.

After that, she couldn't do anything other than simply stare at the list until a single tear finally made its way down her face, onto it, wetting the name she'd just written down.  _Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued…


	12. Little Lotte/The Mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year's Eve! I'm very excited about this chapter after the cliffhanger of the last one.
> 
> A quick note regarding the timeline, which is relevant to this chapter; I am assuming that How to Train Your Dragon 1 takes place in the autumn of the year in which Hiccup is 15, because Stoick states that he wants to search for the dragon's nest one more time before the ice sets in. Where we are currently is the winter of the year in which Hiccup is 20, so a little over five years after Hiccup disappeared.
> 
> Enjoy, and the best of luck to all of you in the new year!

Astrid had not slept all night. She'd moved from being frozen at her desk, to her bed, to staring out of the window and finally to simply sitting on the floor until the cold made it difficult for her to move her muscles. But as she caught sunlight falling in through her window, blessing Berk with a few hours of daylight, she finally managed to get up. She had to get out of here.

Wrapping her fur mantle tightly around her but still feeling frozen nevertheless, she went outside. Berk was quiet; most people likely had an incredible hangover from the night before and were taking their time to sleep it off. She wandered into the forest, not knowing where else she could possibly go.

Berk's woods were covered in snow, which made a slight creaking sound as she pressed her boots down into it. Even though she usually avoided the place, she knew exactly where to go. After she'd found the spot the first time, she'd never forgotten it.

Not much later, she took a deep a breath as she found the opening she'd been looking for. Making her way through it, she found herself with a good look at the otherwise idyllic scene. The area was completely covered in snow, its pond frozen over. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't come to find this place even a little beautiful. It had come to be known to Berk as simply  _the cove_. And she hated everything about it.

Slowly making her way down so she wouldn't slip, her feet eventually landed in the snow below her. Carefully and with a sense of respect, she made her way to the stone that'd been placed at the edge of the pond, wiping her hand over it to reveal the writing that'd been carved into it.

_In honour of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III_

_Berk's Bravest Dragon Killer_

Memorial stones weren't really a Viking thing, but the chief's son had been an exception. Stoick the Vast couldn't let his son be forgotten just like that, especially considering they'd never been able to give the boy a proper farewell.

She knelt down in front of the stone, letting the feelings of anguish and regret of five years ago flow through her. She'd hoped that coming here would bring her more clarity, that it'd allow her to clear her head. But so far it seemed to be doing quite the opposite. Tears soon filled her eyes.

She still didn't know what to do with the gift the Phantom had given her. It had to mean something. It couldn't simply be a coincidence. It was the same Night Fury. So he knew what had happened to Hiccup. He either killed him, or something even worse. She'd considered for a brief moment that the Phantom  _was_ Hiccup, but that simply did not make sense. Hiccup couldn't be, he just wasn't. He hated dragons as much as the rest of Berk. He came first in dragon training. And despite his faults, he was going to be their chief, the one to lead them through the war. On top of that, the Phantom was clearly taunting her with her mistakes. Of course he was.

As if reading her thoughts, a harrowing voice soon echoed through the cove.

" _I'm here; the Phantom of the Arena."_

She looked around, trying to see if he'd made an appearance. But the cove was as empty as the arena always was. Same old song. "Show yourself," she demanded.

"No."

"Then go away." She didn't want to deal with this. With him. Not right now.

"No."

" _Fuck off!"_ she hissed.

"Gods, Astrid, what did I do? If you're mad I left you alone until now, I'll apologize for that."

"I wish you'd left me alone from the beginning."

"Astrid, just tell me what I did."

"What do you think you did?" She was getting sick and tired of his games.

"I brought you a gift for Snoggletog, then waited for you to come to the arena afterwards so we could, you know, catch up. But you didn't, so I waited to see if something had happened, and now I'm here. That's what I did."

She laughed at her own stupidity for ever remotely trusting this person. "I can't believe you're still trying to pretend that I don't know what's going on."

"And what exactly is it you think is going on?"

"You're a murderer," she concluded.

"Not this again." The Phantom sounded agitated. "Astrid, we've been over this. I'm not."

She balled her hands into fists in the snow at her knees. "You are. You killed him."

"I killed who?"

" _Hiccup_." Getting the name across her lips was a challenge on its own.

"Well, when I get hiccups I usually do try to kill them off as quickly as possible, but I don't see what that has to do with…"

"Gods!" she yelled. "I can't believe you're actually making a joke out of this!"

"Maybe I'd make less of a joke out of it if I had a clue of what you were talking about," the Phantom answered calmly, which only angered her further.

"You killed Hiccup!" she shouted. "Our chief's son! You murdered him!"

"Astrid, I didn't. I don't even know the man."

"He wasn't even a man," she bit. "He was a child."

"And you actually think me capable of killing a child?" the Phantom asked. "I didn't know you thought so little of me."

"I don't know what you're capable of, that's the whole problem!"

"Then why do you think I killed your chief's son?"

"Like you don't know. You even taunted me with it. That's the kind of person you are, after all."

"Please elaborate," the Phantom deadpanned.

"The Night Fury statuette. It's the same dragon as the one that killed him. So you obviously know what happened to him."

"Astrid, to my knowledge, all Night Furies look exactly the same."

"I don't believe you," she hissed. "It's too much of a coincidence."

"Or you just want it to be a coincidence," the Phantom suggested. "When did this Hiccup even die?"

"Five years ago."

The Phantom stayed quiet for a moment. "As much as you want me to have something to do with it, Astrid, it just doesn't make sense. Why would I kill your chief's son and then disappear for years?"

"You tell me," she demanded. "Maybe you wanted to see if we'd crumble on our own, without an heir?"

"I'd have no reason to do so. I can train dragons, Astrid. I can do anything to Berk anytime I'd want to. No need for me to carefully sit back and wait."

"Then why did you give me that Night Fury?" She needed to see what story he'd come up with instead.

"You wanted to see what I looked like. So I figured the least I could do was give you a clue. The Night Fury is my favourite dragon; the armour you so carefully touched that night is made of its scales."

She shrugged off the memory of  _that night_. "Well, one of your favourites killed a child," she bit. "If you didn't, that is."

"I highly doubt it. You know how dragons are." The Phantom briefly paused. "Unless he provoked it, of course."

"How dare you even…" she could only bring out, her eyes flashing red with anger.

"Did you see the Night Fury kill him?" the Phantom calmly asked.

"No," she admitted.

"How do you know it did?"

"It was obvious."

"Feel free to tell me."

She scoffed. "It's not a story you deserve to hear. Even if you really did not have anything to do with it."

"Do you trust me?"

The answer seemed obvious. "Of course not."

"Fine. Then do you at least admit I likely know more about Night Furies than you?"

"Possibly."

"Then telling me might be your best shot at figuring out what might've happened to the boy."

She grit her teeth. If the Phantom did have something to do with Hiccup's death, he clearly wasn't about to admit it. "What is there for you to gain?"

"You were obviously crying. Let's just say I'd like to know why."

She raised her cold hands to her temples, rubbing them against them. The cold and the Phantom were giving her a headache. She didn't trust him. She couldn't. But if there was even a small chance he knew more, maybe telling the story would make him slip. He'd slipped before. And if he did not have anything to do with it, she did not see a way in which telling the tale could hurt them.

"Fine," she sighed, trying to regain her composure. "Gods, I don't even know where to start."

"Who was he? Apart from the chief's son?" the Phantom suggested.

"Hiccup was… different," she started.  _Scrawny, too skinny for a Viking, hardly able to lift an axe or a sword._  "I didn't really know him. We never talked. He was the blacksmith's apprentice. We were in dragon training together."

She'd never mentioned dragon training, but the Phantom didn't seem to feel the need to grill her over that activity right now. "Was he good at it?" he simply asked instead.

"He was absolutely terrible at first. Then he got really good. He even took first place away from me." She laughed wryly to herself. "I hated him for it."

"And what does first place get you?"

"The honour of killing a Monstrous Nightmare in front of the entire village."

"Lovely," the Phantom remarked sarcastically. "And how did that go?"

"He never did it. You actually freed the one he was supposed to kill. Hiccup himself disappeared on that same day."

"Then how do you know he was killed by a Night Fury?"

She appreciated the Phantom asking questions, as getting the story across her lips was no easy task. "I wanted to know how he did it, how he suddenly got so good, so I tried to track him down. He went into the forest nearly every afternoon, and I went after him." She had been so incredibly angry, humiliated and  _hurt_. She wanted to make him pay for taking her glory away from her, so to calm herself down, she split a few of Berk's trees in half with her axe. Which had made her lose valuable time. "But I was too late. By the time I got anywhere close to this place – which I didn't know existed – it'd already been done. And the only thing I saw was a Night Fury fly straight over my head, shooting out of the forest, straight up until I could no longer see it."

Her hands started shaking at the thought of how much the sight of that particular dragon had frightened her at the time, even before she'd known he had something to do with Hiccup. Everyone knew the stories about Night Furies after all; there were none, as no one had ever survived an encounter with one and had therefore been able to tell it.

After a moment of silence, the Phantom asked: "Did you see anything special about it?"

"I was too busy being scared to death," she managed to sort of joke. "But I still remember what it looked like. It looked exactly like the statuette you gave me." She shivered. "It had the same piercing green eyes."

"If that's all you saw, how do you know the Night Fury killed him and that the boy didn't just wander off?"

She took a deep breath. "We went looking for him." She still remembered the day on which Hiccup had been supposed to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. They'd all been gathered at the arena, patiently waiting for the chief's son to claim what was his. She'd shrugged off the memories from the day before, told herself that she shouldn't be worried about the Night Fury. That day, for her, had just been about supressing her intense jealousy. Until Stoick the Vast had walked in.

He told them that Hiccup had not come home that night. And this morning, he was still nowhere to be found. They were afraid he'd gotten stage fright; Hiccup didn't like to be in the spotlight he often unintentionally put himself in after all. But as he stayed gone throughout the day, that fear started to turn in a fear for something much worse.

"I was part of the group that searched our forests," she continued. She had volunteered, as she hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. She had retraced her steps to where she'd lost Hiccup the last time and had started looking from there while others searched other areas of the island.

"And for a really long time, we didn't find anything." Every day, she saw the desperation on the chief's face get worse and worse. And her sense of guilt grew along with it. Eventually, Stoick feared the worst; afraid Hiccup had been captured by their enemies from neighbouring tribes, he'd set out on the diplomatically risky journey of visiting every known inhabited island in the archipelago, despite it being winter and huge parts of the seas being frozen. In a way, it'd been a near-suicide mission. On each and every one of the islands, he'd demanded they tell him where his son was, risking war with a few of them. But no matter how hard the Chief of Berk tried, none of them knew.

All the while, she had kept searching on Berk itself. She knew the answers were in the forest, but with winter making its way to the island, their days quickly became shorter and colder. She didn't give up though.

"Eventually, I found this cove." She still remembered the first time she'd stumbled upon the small opening and laid eye on her surroundings. The pond had already been frozen, the ground covered in a very thin layer of snow.

"And along with it, black dragon scales. A Night Fury's." She wrapped her mantle around her, the cold of today slowly making its way into her bones. "I looked through the rest of the cove. Occasionally, either on the rocks or on the ground, I found blood. Either the Night Fury's or –" She swallowed her emotions away. " _Hiccup's_."

As she paused for a moment to recollect herself, the Phantom butted in: "That still seems like too little to get to that conclusion, though, I mean –"

"Let me finish my story," she interrupted him. She could feel a gush of wind ruffle her bangs. "I kept looking. All through the winter, I kept looking. I just – I had to know what had happened to him, I felt responsible, I –" Slowly losing sense of the difference between her inner and outer monologues, she kept blurting out: "If I hadn't lost him that day, I might've known, he could've still been here, I –"

She shook her head to get herself back on track. "No matter how cold or how dark it got, I kept looking. For two full, cold, months, I looked. Alone, because I was too scared to tell anyone I might be responsible. I didn't want people to find out I failed, I needed to figure this out on my own. So I tried. But no matter how hard I tried, I kept getting back to this. fucking. cove." Angrily, she buried her hands in the snow, only to throw some of it away. Utterly useless, just like she'd been at the time.

"Eventually, I got an idea. It was still too early, not nearly spring yet and the pond wouldn't thaw for a long time, especially considering its size. But what if he'd drowned?" She painfully laughed to herself. "After such a long time, even that seemed like a possible solution. Even though Hiccup could swim just fine, I had to make sure."

Taking a deep breath, then continuing once more: "I brought a pickaxe, something sharp enough to get me through the ice. It was a warmer day than usual, but it was still utterly freezing. Nevertheless, I managed to cut through the ice and create a hole wide enough for me to dive through. And so I did." She shuddered at the memory. She'd never imagined cold water could hurt so bad. It'd been like a thousand daggers stabbing her all at once when she'd first dived in.

"But my gut feeling had been right. In the pond, I found a dagger. With his initials carved into it." She pushed back a cry. "So no matter how much it hurt and how close to hypothermia I was, I kept looking. And I found his helmet. The one he'd only just started wearing the day he disappeared." The chief had later told her it'd been a gift from him to his son. The helmet had been made out of Hiccup's deceased mother's breast plate.

"That's all that was left of him," she cried. She couldn't contain her tears any longer as she thought back to what had come afterwards. Her clothes frozen to her body, her fingers and lips as blue as the sky, she'd made her way back to Berk. There, she'd knocked on Stoick the Vast's door, the chief recently returned from his unfruitful island trek. Standing there in front of his door, with two items belonging to his dead son in her hands, all the strength she'd kept up over the months before simply shattered. The chief found her there, crying her eyes out. He'd responded by simply hugging her, before taking her inside and letting her tell her story. Afterwards, they both couldn't come up with another conclusion than that the boy was truly gone. And she'd never seen Stoick the Vast cry. But he did then.

"Astrid…" the Phantom started, interrupting the silence which was only occasionally interrupted by her sobs. "Night Furies are one of the most intelligent –  _ow!_ –  _the most intelligent_  dragon species I know. I don't think he killed that boy just like that."

She briefly wiped her tears away. "Neither do I," she told him. "I think it killed him out of spite. Ages before he disappeared, Hiccup bragged he'd shot down a Night Fury." She took a deep breath. "He'd always wanted to prove he could kill a dragon. So I – we – think he went looking for it after it'd been shot down. That's why he spent all those hours in the forest every day. And the day he disappeared, he finally found it… And it took its revenge."

"I guess that sounds slightly less unlikely," was all the Phantom said. "Some dragons do hold grudges." Then, after a short pause: "Did he mean something to you?"

She shook her head. "No, he was simply our chief's son. But I failed him. And by failing him, I failed all of Berk."

"Astrid, it's not your fault –" the Phantom started.

"Don't ask me to believe you don't know anything about it and then act like you do," she bit. "You don't know. I  _did_ fail him." She'd pushed them away, the incredible feelings of guilt she'd felt. She'd chosen to ignore what had happened, as she hadn't been able to cope with how, for the first time in her life, she'd failed. And she had failed big time. "If I hadn't been so angry, if I hadn't been so jealous, I would've been able to go right after him and I would've found the Night Fury with him, or I would've prevented him from ever finding it. I should've been there. I –" She sniffed. "I should've saved him."

"Astrid, the odds of you dying as well when facing a Night Fury are way higher than you saving him."

"That's what our chief said as well," she remarked. "But I can't allow myself to believe that. I failed him, and I have to live with that. It's just that simple." And she'd done that so far by shutting the memories of that time out completely. Of her own jealousy and anger – Hiccup deserved to be remembered for who he was, rather than who she'd made him out to be – and of her experiences that winter. It simply hurt too much for her to remember. Which is why she hadn't added Hiccup to her list of missing people thus far.

As the Phantom stayed quiet, she laughed to herself. Wryly. She could never truly laugh about any of this. Nor forgive herself. "It's just, it was such a waste… Especially looking back at it now, he could've been  _great_. He had the dragons completely down, he had this way with them, it was… remarkable, really." She let out a sarcastic laugh. "He might've liked you in that sense. He too, seemed to prefer to use tricks rather than sheer force. We never even saw him actually hit a dragon." The resemblance there was awfully ironic.

"And especially knowing about dragons what I know now," she continued. "I just can't help but wonder exactly  _how_  it happened. I mean, Stormfly is just so  _kind_  and I've seen dragons do things to people in raids often enough, but that's almost always in this chaotic, surreal situation." She gestured to the area around her. "This, this cove, it's just so… It could've been beautiful. And to imagine that here, one-on-one, the dragon killed him… It's just incredibly difficult." She hung her head, unable to deal with the mental picture. Instead, she simply stared at her increasingly freezing hands. She no longer felt her knees either, which were still buried in the snow. "Like, the dragon didn't just simply kill him, it must've  _eaten_  him." She flicked her eyes to the memorial stone in front of her. "He never even got a proper funeral, as we never found his body…"

Then, it slowly dawned on her. They had never found his body. They'd never had confirmation that he was dead. What if he wasn't?

As she stared at what was in front of her, his name carved in stone, it clicked. She'd been looking at in the wrong way all this time. She'd said it herself; Hiccup wasn't like them, Hiccup was  _different_. She had just never considered exactly how different he could be.

What if Hiccup had not found the Night Fury on the day he disappeared, but earlier? She'd always suspected he might've been training with someone, but what if that someone had been a dragon? If that was how he'd come to know his tricks? The chief's son had never hurt a dragon in dragon training. He'd always tricked the beasts, tricked the people watching into thinking that if he needed to put his hands on one, he would. But what if, when the day came on which he actually had to, it would turn out that he couldn't? Then the logical decision would have been to leave Berk and to avoid the situation altogether.  _Only to return many years later._

The way the Phantom talked, his view on things; even though she had never known Hiccup very well, they had the same sense of sarcasm about everything. An unparalleled cynicism. As hard as it was for her to imagine the scrawny boy doing the things the Phantom had done, she had no idea what had happened to him in the years that'd passed. It was unlikely he was still the same, mentally and physically. She'd changed too, after all.

It had to be Hiccup. It just made too much sense. The Night Fury, the Phantom coming back to haunt Berk of all places, his seeming hate against the island. It resembled a past he'd decided to leave behind, an outlook on life he fundamentally disagreed with. But she needed him to confess to be absolutely sure.

"You…" she simply stammered, unable to put her thoughts into words cohesively. "You, you're…"

" _Astrid_ ," the Phantom simply said. Gods, of course the Phantom had chosen to put up an accent. If he, despite being five years older, still sounded anything like Hiccup, she would've recognized his voice instantly. It made so much sense. Although his identity did make his motives even more questionable. She'd have to ask him to explain himself.

"You're  _him_ ," she stated, not necessarily asking a question.

"Astrid, turn around."

And she did. Slowly, she moved her frozen muscles, struggling considerably to get up to her feet. When she finally managed, she turned around.

At first, she stared straight into the sun, which had been right behind her. Then, above her, on the cove's edge, she could see a figure. Unable to make out the details as the sun was still partially blinding her, she could only study the silhouette as it spread its giant wings. Then, it moved.

Softly landing right in front of her, in the snow, was a Night Fury. The same one she'd seen all those years ago. It looked at her intently, its green eyes showing not a single trace of hostility, its black scales slightly shimmering in the sunlight. Her instincts told her to get down or to run. But she couldn't, as what accompanied the beast froze in her place.

On the back of the dragon was a man. He looked relaxed there; he had a certain grace about him. He was donned completely in black, as dark himself as his dragon was. He wore a type of body armour made of a combination of dragon scales and leather. His hands were gloved, his face covered by a helmet. In a way, he did look like a dragon himself. With the presence of a ghost.

The only human detail she could make out were his eyes. They were looking at her from behind the slits of his helmet, and all she could do was simply look back. They were a beautiful shade of green. Just like Hiccup's had been. And they were completely mesmerizing her. Regardless of his identity, this was the man she had kissed. And seeing him here, finally revealed, sent sparks all throughout her body and filled her stomach with butterflies. He was as slender and tall as she'd felt he was. He didn't look weak however. Not at all. He looked…  _majestic_.

After what she felt were minutes in which they just stared at each other, the figure slowly moved. The Phantom held his gloved hand out to her, his palm exposed, his slender fingers stretched out towards her.

Slowly, she walked forward, her steps uneasy in the snow. The Night Fury watched her carefully, warbling in a friendly manner as she approached them. As if to tell her that she shouldn't be afraid. She couldn't look at the dragon for too long however, as it still represented the devil in her mind. Nevertheless, she mustered up the courage to walk up to the odd pair, the Phantom not moving at all in the meantime. So instead, she stretched out her own hand towards them. And took the Phantom's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so extremely happy to have this chapter done as it does sooooo much for the story. It's finally revealed what the people of Berk think did happen to Hiccup, the basis of Astrid & Stoick's closer relationship and why Astrid has hardly given a single thought to Hiccup throughout the story so far; her sense of guilt and her journey of looking for him were traumatic for her to a certain extent, and she'd shut it out.
> 
> It was important to me that Astrid figured it out on her own rather than the Phantom simply telling her, as I think she deserves to get that credit; she's not stupid. But it couldn't simply be instant due to how extremely conflicted she feels when really thinking about those events. But here we are, she finally knows.
> 
> Oh, and to those of you asking where Toothless has been so far; he's finally made his first on-screen appearance! And yes, the ow! in this line:
> 
> "Night Furies are one of the most intelligent – ow! – the most intelligent dragon species I know."
> 
> was Toothless correcting his rider :D


	13. The Phantom Of The Opera/Music Of The Night & I Remember...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again! Thank you all once again for the enthusiastic comment; it is indeed a very exciting time for this fic and I'm glad to see you guys are excited too! This chapter turned out way longer than I'd expected it to, but I decided to keep it together as one after all rather than splitting it up.
> 
> Little bit of an announcement: after reading quite a lot of fanfiction Tumblrs in the past months myself and realizing I'd really like to pre and post discuss chapters with you guys outside of merely author notes, I've decided to create a Tumblr page myself! You can find me on aleteia-ff!
> 
> I plan to use it to discuss my take on chapters more extensively, to answer your questions and to discuss my thoughts on the HTTYD fandom in general. And to post when I expect to be able to upload the next update!
> 
> That said, please enjoy!

**The Phantom of the Opera/Music Of The Night**

As Astrid's hand met the Phantom's, he Instantly closed his around hers, holding her firmly. His eyes didn't lose hers as he skid backwards on the dragon's back. She could see now that he was sitting on some sort of saddle; it was completely dyed black and therefore tough to see from afar.

"Put your left foot there," the Phantom pointed at the dragon's front leg.

She froze in place for a second as she realized that he wanted her to get  _on the dragon's back_. There were other things she could consider doing instead; for instance, she could pull the Phantom –  _Hiccup_  – down and beat him up for lying to her, to all of Berk. It would be well-deserved. But she didn't know how his dragon would react to her aggression. It looked friendly enough right now, but she was fairly sure it would not take kindly to her punching his rider to pulp. Besides, it didn't  _feel_ right. The longer she looked into the Phantom's green eyes, the more they mesmerized her. Her other logical option would be to let him go and to run. So, she let her curiosity and incredible intrigue get the better of her and promptly put her foot where he'd told her to. The Phantom helped her lift herself up, allowing her to swing her other leg over the saddle.

Sitting on the Night Fury's back was a strange experience. She could feel it breathing, its lungs filling themselves with air and emptying consistently. It seemed calm. In a way, it looked kind of beautiful, its scales just slightly shimmering in the sunlight. Wanting to put her hands on its skin to feel their structure, she stopped herself just in time. Instead, she asked: "What's its name?"

"He's called Toothless," the Phantom answered. She just couldn't call him Hiccup to herself quite yet. Not without confirmation. It still felt too… unreal.

"Toothless…?" she wondered out loud.

The Phantom laughed softly. "Night Furies have retractable teeth. It's not the best name, I know, but we both grew fond of it rather quickly."

Before she could ask more questions, she felt the Phantom reach around her waist and grab her hands. He placed them down on the front of the saddle, allowing her to grasp its edge.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Ready for what?" was all she could reasonably say.

"You'll see," the Phantom whispered. She could feel him slide forward, leaving her sitting between his legs, his warm chest pressed against her back. He rested his hands next to hers, his arms on both sides of her waist. Then, she heard a metallic sound.

"Hold on tight," the Phantom told her, before turning to his dragon. "Let's go, Toothless."

What followed blew the air right out of her lungs, pushing her back as they shot off from the ground with a speed she couldn't have imagined. As soon as she regained her breath, she screamed, closing her eyes and holding onto the saddle until she could feel her knuckles turn white. She was glad the Phantom was behind her, fearing she would've fallen off otherwise.

It was as strange as it was scary. The cold winter air blowing into her face at an enormous speed, hearing and  _feeling_  the dragon's wings beat beneath her. The amount of strength of the dragon possessed was crazy. It made her dizzy, making her slowly lose control of her senses. Even though she was sure they hadn't turned or flipped, she lost every sense of what was up and what was down.

As tightened up as she was, the Phantom was the polar opposite. She could feel him breathe easily, his arms which were still around her hardly feeling like they were holding on. She guessed he was used to it. The madman.

After what felt like hours of utter terror, they finally levelled out. The Night Fury had been rapidly beating his wings before, but now assumed more of a gliding position. So, after telling herself it couldn't get much worse anyways, she opened her eyes.

The first thing she did was look down. Which was a terribly big mistake. She had expected the blue sea of the Archipelago beneath her, but she hadn't anticipated just  _how far_  beneath her it'd be.

"Oh gods," she stammered, closing her eyes once again. Her voice sounded hoarse after all the screaming she'd done earlier.

The Phantom laughed softly. "Just look in front of you. That's not as scary."

After taking a deep breath, she did as he told her. She had to get over this somehow. She couldn't allow herself to be a wimp. And sure enough, as she opened her eyes again, she was met with the most stunning colour of blue she had ever seen. The sky's colour. It was absolutely hypnotizing.

"And if you feel up for it, try looking up," the Phantom whispered in her ear.

And so she did. Looking above her, she could see the clouds, closer than ever before. She could see their structure, how white they were. It was amazing. "Can you fly through those?"

"Sure you can, but it'll likely just leave you very cold," the Phantom answered.

"Why?"

"I'll show you."

She heard another metallic noise and they were going upward again. Trying her best to keep her eyes open this time but struggling because of the wind, she could see the clouds slowly come closer. Then, they were right beneath one.

"Reach up," the Phantom suggested.

Looking nervously at her hands which were still holding onto the saddle tightly, she didn't feel it was so simple. "I don't want to fall," she said softly, afraid to sound too silly.

"You won't," the Phantom reassured her. She could see him lift his hands off the saddle, which he then wrapped around her waist, pulling her even closer against him. It felt secure. "I've got you."

Slowly, she released one of her hands and turned it upwards. As soon as her fingertips touched the cloud, she understood what the Phantom had meant. It was  _wet_. It felt like a mist, but thicker. Even after just a few seconds, her hand was completely soaked. Still, it sent a tingling sensation through her whole body. This was incredible.

"I always thought they'd feel more like pillows."

"So did I. They do look like that from down below. But from up here, things are just… different." As she lowered her hand, he continued: "Being here, up in the air like this… I just feel like I'm actually flying myself. Although Toothless does all the work of course." He released one of his hands to pat the Night Fury on its head. Toothless gave a soft, happy warble in response.

"Do you feel less scared yet?" the Phantom asked.

She smiled. "A little."

Instead of putting his hand back around her waist, the Phantom softly rested it on top of one of hers. "I can make you feel like you're flying too," he whispered.

His voice sent a shiver across her spine. "I'm not sure I'm up for that," she stuttered.

"Sure you are," the Phantom reassured her. "You're brave enough. Just close your eyes, and try to trust me."

After a moment of hesitation, she closed her eyes. If she couldn't trust him on the back of his own dragon, she couldn't trust him anywhere. Indicating her agreement, she leant back against him.

The Phantom released his other hand from her waist and took both of her hands in his. Then, he slowly lifted them, moving them to her sides. She trembled, but his grip didn't loosen. He made her stretch her arms sideward until they were emulating wings of her own. Then, he let her go.

Before she could get scared, his hands were on her waist once more. "Remember, I got you," he whispered. "Just try to enjoy it. The wind on your face, drowning out most of the sound around you. Ruffling your hair and making you feel cold, yet alive. Nothing between you and the sky but the dragon beneath you. And surrounding it all, this overwhelming sense of  _freedom_." She felt it. Everything he described to her, she felt it, resonating inside her and filling her soul. "And when you're ready, open your eyes."

She opened them right as he spoke and simply could not feel anything other than astonishment when she took in her surroundings. She even dared to looked down, no longer terrified. The butterflies she felt right now were those of pure amazement. They'd been flying before, but now they were truly  _soaring_ , Toothless navigating them through the sky, occasionally veering left and right. The Phantom was right. She felt safe. She felt free. She felt incredible.

She sensed the Phantom put his head on her shoulder, wrapping his arms more tightly around her waist. "Do you get it, Astrid?" he simply asked.

"I do," she confirmed.

She turned her head to the side. She couldn't see the Phantom's face, as he was still wearing his helmet, but she could meet his eyes. Those beautiful green eyes. Hiccup's eyes.

"Show me your face," she whispered to him. "I know who you are. Knock off the accent, take off your helmet."  _So I can kiss you_ , she silently added.

The Phantom shook his head. "No." He pointed in front of her. "Your eyes should be on the horizon."

Reverting her gaze to the sky – how long had she been looking at him? – she found its colour slowly changing to a beautiful shade of orange. She'd always found the sunset beautiful, but looking at it from above was a different sensation altogether. It was simply mesmerizing.

"Unfortunately, the sun and the moon are too far away to reach," the Phantom joked as the sky slowly started to get darker. "Believe me, I've tried."

"It's gorgeous nevertheless." It truly was. She'd never seen anything this beautiful.

"So are you."

"I wish I knew if I could say the same to you," she shot at him, not meeting his gaze. Part of her wanted to sock him right off his own dragon for being so stubborn. But that probably wouldn't end well for her either.

Suddenly, his arms released her. She heard a few more metallic sounds and then she no longer felt the pressure of his back against her. Concerned, she looked behind her, only to find the Phantom standing up straight on the Night Fury's back, seemingly keeping his balance with ease.

"Hold on tight," he told her.

She furrowed her brow in confusion as she watched the Phantom bend his knees. Then,  _he jumped_.

In a mixture of terror and utter disbelief, she watched him plummet down, face first towards the ocean. What was he doing? Was he killing himself? Was he – ?

Her thoughts were interrupted by an excited warble, followed by her whole body being yanked downwards.  _Toothless was diving as well._

Wrapping her arms around the dragon's neck, scared to death and beyond, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Getting into the air had been scary due to the novelty of flying, but this was in a whole other realm of terror. Her stomach felt as if it was being pushed up to gods knows where, her lungs completely emptied but still managing to produce a harrowing scream nevertheless. She was absolutely sure she was going to die.

They kept falling, and falling, and falling. She didn't know whether to keep her eyes open or closed. When opened, the wind in her face made them tear up to the extent she was nearly blinded. When closed, the feeling of falling became even more dizzying, making her feel as if even though she hadn't eaten for hours, she'd certainly puke up one month worth of stomach content.

Soon, they were falling in sync with the Phantom, the Night Fury having caught up to his rider. He spread his wings, the two twirling around each other in the air. She couldn't look. She didn't know for how much longer she could hold on, the strength in her arms slowly fading but survival instinct keeping her arms and legs both tightly wrapped around the dragon, holding on for dear life.

Eventually, the Phantom approached them, reaching around her to grab the dragon, his chest pressing down on her back and his lower body settling behind her. She heard a metallic sound and her body was suddenly jerked upwards. They'd levelled out again.

Panting as if she hadn't breathed for minutes – which was probably true – she felt a sense of control return to her muscles. They were alive. Thank the gods, they were alive. The Phantom had known what he'd been doing after all. Which meant…

"Are you out of your mind!?" she yelled, straightening herself. She twisted around and to add meaning to her words, she balled her fist and buried it right into the Phantom's shoulder.

" _Ow!_ " he winced. She could hear something akin to a laugh come from the Night Fury, the sound just loud enough not to be drowned out by the wind. She decided to believe that'd been the dragon's intention. "What did you do that for?" the Phantom whined.

" _You almost killed us_ ," she hissed.

The Phantom shook his head. "Of course not, I knew what I was doing. Just wanted to get a jump in before it gets too dark. It keeps the blood flowing, you know."

"You're batshit crazy," was all she could conclude.

"I don't deny that."

Looking at the slowly darkening sky, a sense of worry came over her. "Where are we even going?" she asked.

"My home," was all the Phantom said.

"And where's that?"

"Not too far from here."

She was silent from that moment onwards, the blood in her veins still fuelled by adrenaline from their dive and by anticipation of what was to come. Where would someone like him even live? And what was he planning to do with her when they got there? Had she resigned herself to her own death by coming with him? And would she ever see Berk again?

Hesitant but needing to know whether staying on the back of the dragon or letting herself plunge into the ocean was the better option, she asked: "Why are you taking me there?"

"There are some things I'd like to show you." For once in his life, she'd like him to give more complete and less cryptic answers. But she sensed that prodding wouldn't do her any good in this case.

As the light of the sun was slowly replaced by that of the moon, the dark blue of the early evening surrounding them, Astrid grew increasingly more nervous. She had no clue what she was heading into.

They had slowly climbed ever since their dive, but now the Phantom was leading the Night Fury downward again. In the distance, she could make out the silhouette of an island. It peaked high above the ocean, the top of it significantly more slender than its base. It didn't look big, but she felt like it was the right place. The Phantom's home.

And, surely enough, they got closer and closer to the island. They were flying towards the base of the single mountain it seemed to be made out of, and she got more and more concerned as they seemed to not be slowing down at all, what she imagined was a rock wall rapidly approaching them. She braced herself for impact, but they flew straight on; there'd been a cave opening she hadn't been able to see.

They were now completely in the dark, flying through a tunnel at an alarming speed. She could hear the gusts of wind the Night Fury was producing, but apart from that it was completely silent. Then, they slipped to a grinding halt.

She was catapulted forward, but the Phantom grabbed her just in time.

"Here we are," he plainly said after she'd regained her balance.

In front of her was nothing but darkness. "I can't see a thing."

"Yeah, the moon isn't up high enough yet. And they seem to be quiet for once, which is unusual."  _Who's they?_  After a brief pause, the Phantom continued: "Let's fix that."

The Phantom proceeded to clap his hands. Once. Twice. Three times. What followed, completely blinded her.

All around her, lights went on. But they weren't stationary; they were moving. All around them and above them were dragons, dimly lighting the cave by showing a fraction of their fiery breath.

The light allowed her to take in their surroundings. Toothless was standing on a ledge overlooking a huge lake, shimmering with the reflections of the dragon's breaths, a thin mist swirling above it. Going upwards, the area seemed to just be one big cave; she figured they were inside the mountain itself. All around its edges, there were small alcoves; indents into the cave walls, completely filled with dragons. It was an amazing sight to behold, spiralling up until it reached the open top of the mountain. She could only make out the dragons' silhouettes as they moved, some of them flying across, others lazing around in what seemed to be their spot. She had never seen so many dragons in one place. There were hundreds.

"What is this place?" she wondered out loud.

"It was probably a volcano," the Phantom answered, still sitting behind her. "It eventually went dormant and its base flooded with water. It's still somewhat active though; it warms this place, especially the lake." Indeed; usually, caves were damp and frigid. Here however, the air was pleasant and slightly warm. She could imagine the dragons liked it here. Feeling more comfortable than she had during their flight, she had to supress a yawn. She'd been awake for a long time by now.

"And the dragons?" she asked.

"A few of them already lived here when I found this place," the Phantom explained. "But most of them are dragons I freed or rescued in another way."

"You rescued all of these dragons?" she asked in amazement, not knowing where he found the time.

The Phantom laughed. "No, not all of them. I usually bring them here to recover, and some of them decide to stay. After a while, a few of them brought their friends. And family. So the group's grown rather quickly."

"So they are all yours?" She turned around to look at the Phantom, who was gazing at the cavern above him.

"Not really," the Phantom answered. "I've only really trained a few of them, like Stormfly and my other lieutenants. I wish I had the time to train all of them, but the Archipelago keeps me busy." He stayed quiet for a moment, still looking upwards. "But Toothless and I have always protected them, and will continue to do so until we no longer can. Every nest has its alpha, and in a way, I guess we're theirs. It's not biological, but it's a strong bond nevertheless. We take care of them and in return, they take care of us."

Astrid looked up again as well, following the Phantom's gaze. The sheer number of dragons still amazed her, and they were just so calm… What little she could see of the dragons – Gronckles, Nadders, Zipplebacks, Monstrous Nightmares, along with species she'd never seen before – wasn't threatening in any way. They seemed at ease, not bothered by a thing. Which she supposed made sense; apart from the Phantom and her, there wasn't a single human around.

"Hold on," the Phantom told her. She felt Toothless spread his wings again. "I'll get us some more permanent light. And then I want to show you something."

As soon as her hands grasped the saddle, they set off. They soared over the lake, the thin mist and hot air sending pleasant shivers through her body. Occasionally, she could feel Toothless jerk, followed by a high-pitched sound; using the Night Fury's blasts, they were lighting the torches the Phantom had seemingly attached to the mountain's walls. It allowed her to see better, the whole cave dimly lit, flames flickering and throwing dragons' shadows around. In a way, it looked spooky, but she couldn't be scared. She was too overwhelmed by this place. She had never been among this many dragons. Especially not like this.

Eventually, they softly landed on the lake's stone shore. Looking across it, she was still overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. For all she knew, there could easily be dragons hiding in there as well. A Scualdron perhaps, a Thunderdrum, or another sea dragon she'd only ever seen in the Book of Dragons…

She felt the Phantom move behind her and found him agilely getting off the back of the dragon. He cradled the Night Fury's head between his hands, softly petting him and whispering some things to him she couldn't quite hear, but the dragon responded by enthusiastically nudging the Phantom in return. It made her smile. Then, the Phantom turned to her, holding out his hand. "Come on."

Taking the Phantom's hand once again, she got off of the dragon's back, albeit a little more clumsy than the Phantom himself. Not resting for a second, the Phantom started to drag her along to one of the alcoves. She turned her head around to look at the Night Fury who'd gotten them here safely. She didn't know if she should say anything to thank him, so she settled for giving him a soft smile. She received a gummy, lop-sided smile from the dragon in return. She laughed to herself. Indeed; Toothless.

As she caught sight of the alcove the Phantom was dragging her to – it had been hidden from above – her face lit up even more. Despite the many dragons currently surrounding her, she'd recognize the blue and gold pattern of this one anywhere.

"Stormfly!" she yelled, tearing herself from the Phantom and launching herself at the Nadder. Stormfly was lying on her side, leaning against the alcove's wall, wings spread out. Nevertheless, she responded by lifting her head and gawking enthusiastically, her yellow eyes filled with delight. As Astrid reached the dragon, she threw her arms around her head, hugging her.

"Hey girl," she cooed, rubbing her hand over the Nadder's horn. "Did you miss me? Cause I surely missed you!"

The Nadder gawked in response, which she took as a yes. Gods, if the people of Berk saw her now. Absolutely delighted to be reunited with a dragon. But she didn't feel a single ounce of shame. Stormfly had saved her life, had been her friend over the past months, her companion. Her being a dragon didn't make that any different.

"What have you been up to?" she asked. "Because, honestly, I've been pretty bored without you." She could sense the Phantom standing close to them, but she didn't care what he thought. He hid everything, but she wasn't going to do the same.

As an answer to her question, Stormfly slowly lifted one of her wings, folding it to her side. Astrid's eyes went wide when she saw what was underneath it. She'd seen smaller dragon silhouettes flying around, but she hadn't considered that they were actually –

"Babies!" she yelled in utter amazement. Seemingly enticed by her enthusiasm and by their mother's approval, three small Deadly Nadders practically launched themselves at her. She fell down to her knees and caught them in her arms, cradling the hatchlings against her chest. They had different colours; one was blue like its mother, while its siblings were light purple and sea-green. All three of them had the same yellow eyes however, which were taking her in intently. It was more adorable than anything she'd ever seen.

They didn't stay put for long however. Only seconds later, number one was patrolling her lap, number two was pounding on the top of her head while number three was sitting on her shoulder, eagerly nipping at her braid. Holding her hands up in the air as she didn't know what to do with her predicament, she heard someone snicker.

"What are you looking at?" she threw at the Phantom, joining in and giggling herself. He wasn't standing too far away from her, his arms crossed over his chest. It looked like he was trying to be silent, his helmet still covering his head, but she could see his shoulders shake nevertheless.

"Nothing," the Phantom answered. Gods, how she wished he'd finally knock off the accent so she could hear if he actually had Hiccup's voice.

The Phantom kneeled next to her, patting and softly scratching the little Nadder sitting on top of her head. "They're adorable, aren't they," he asked rhetorically.

"Indeed," she chuckled as the Nadder on her shoulder started nibbling her ear. "And really friendly too."

She could see the Phantom's eyes tenderly look at the dragons. "That's their nature. Like I told you, dragons are friendly creatures at heart. It's only later in their life that they encounter the threat that humans can be."

Not wanting to follow through on that discussion, she asked instead: "So are these little fellows what keep you busy during the winter?"

The Phantom laughed softly. "Pretty much, yeah. All dragons migrate to a place I call the Rookery sometime before Snoggletog. They lay their eggs there and watch over them until they hatch. As soon as they are able to fly, they migrate back to where they came from." The Phantom scooped up the Nadder on her lap. "That happened just before I came to Berk on Snoggletog."

"So that's why they don't attack during winter," she realized.

"Exactly," the Phantom confirmed. "No matter where a dragon comes from or how strong the biological bond with their alpha is, this is so instinctual that it trumps everything else. Not even the queen has a say in that." The Phantom's voice turned more sour. "Plus, it wouldn't be in her interest. More dragons means more minions, after all." He shrugged. "But this process is carved into the soul of every dragon. I mean, in theory they could have had their babies here without a problem; those who need to hatch in water could do that in the lake just fine. But it's so instinctual, it's in their nature to go there, all dragon species together. Which is kind of beautiful, if you ask me."

It was. "And what's your role in the whole process?" she asked.

"I watch over them. To make sure nothing happens to them."

"Does anything ever happen to them?" The thought of something or  _someone_  hurting these babies or their eggs was unsettling.

"No," the Phantom admitted. "Not that I've experienced at least." He scratched the chin of the Nadder he was still playing with. "But I wouldn't forgive myself if something did happen to them and I could've prevented it."

She watched as he put the Nadder back on the ground, who instantly rushed to its mother, softly nuzzling Stormfly's horn. "I try not to meddle too much in the natural course of things," the Phantom continued. "I don't have time to look after all of them, so it's important they can be independent. I let them fly back here on their own and I leave them with their parents most of the time. Although I can't help but look after the runts of the pack." He gazed around the cavern. "I guess you could say I have a soft spot for them. I want to see them succeed too."

She smiled. If the Phantom was who she thought he was, it made sense. His fondness warmed her heart. "You really do care for dragons." She'd always known from the way he talked about them, she'd just never seen him interact with them. The way he touched the baby Nadders, the way he was now stroking Stormfly's wings. It was incredibly soft and caring.

"Of course I do. They're my friends, my companions. They're everything I have, really." There was a slight sense of sadness in his voice.

"Show them to me," she told him.

"Who?"

"All of them."

The Phantom chuckled. "That'll take some time."

She shrugged. "I don't really have anywhere else to go."

The Phantom got back up to his feet and she took her time to say goodbye to Stormfly and her babies. But they would see each other again a lot sooner this time. She would make sure of that.

With the Phantom leading the way, they started to stroll along the lake's shore. The lakeside was as littered with dragons as the upper levels of the cavern were and Astrid felt like she simply did not have enough eyes to observe everything at once. In the meantime, the Phantom made sure to point out every dragon he knew to her, especially those with a story. She was introduced to many dragons, in all varying shapes and sizes. Countless Deadly Nadders, a beautiful silver Razorwhip, a teenage Gronckle who was missing one of its front legs, a Monstrous Nightmare whose wings had been torn by a human trap, a tailless Nadder and an alarming number of incredibly gassy Hideous Zipplebacks. Each and every one of them hardly hostile towards her. But especially those that'd been injured or born less fortunate caught her eye, the Phantom's words echoing through her mind. He wanted to see them succeed too. She got that.

But no matter how much the dragons intrigued her, she couldn't help but look at the Phantom from the corner of her eye. He intrigued her too. Perhaps even more so.

She watched his posture, the way he walked and talked. She noticed that he had this lankiness about him, his tall figure occasionally looking slightly unstable, although she couldn't call him clumsy. When he talked, he often moved his shoulders along with it and he told his stories as much with his hands as he did with the mouth she still couldn't see. Although they were usually empty gestures that didn't add much to the story. Mentally, she tried to connect those things to the boy she had only vaguely known. Even though she hadn't paid much attention to him then, in her head, it seemed to line up. She could imagine him as Hiccup. Now she just needed him to finally show her.

The Phantom did not leave time for questions however, consistently dragging her along. They were permanently surrounded by dragons; after a while she wasn't even bothered by the babies landing on her head or an adult dragon taking to the air right in front of her anymore. She was a guest in their world and despite the many questions she needed to get answers to, she felt welcome.

Toothless had been loyally following them around all the while, occasionally stopping to play with a fellow dragon himself. When the Phantom seemingly felt they'd seen enough at the cavern's lowest level, they got back up on the Night Fury. Astrid was sitting behind him this time around, holding onto the Phantom as they took to the air.

He took her from alcove to alcove, from smaller caves to larger caves, all filled with even more dragons. Fireworms, Terrible Terrors, a single Rumblehorn, a cave completely filled with Typhoomerang markings – not the best dragon to keep in a cave, the Phantom calmly noted, a few Hotburples, many Whispering Death tunnels and even more species whose names she forgot the second after the Phantom had said them. The sheer amount of information and impressions she was taking in was starting to make her dizzy, tiredness setting into her bones even though she still wanted to see and know so much more. It probably didn't help that she'd been awake for nearly two days by now.

Climbing higher and higher, they eventually landed on the edge of a large cave. They seemed to be nearly at the top of the cavern, the volcano's opening so close she felt she could easily climb up to it. The moon was visible through it, shining brightly on the lake which was at a dizzying distance beneath them, making it shimmer in its light. It was beautiful, but also a very long way down. Nevertheless, she felt the Phantom get off of Toothless, beckoning her to follow along.

Laying her eyes on the inside of this cave, she noticed that this one was different from the others. This one wasn't inhabited by dragons. But by a human.

At first sight, there wasn't much to meet the eye. Her eyes spotted a slab of stone on the floor, a long abandoned campfire, a few chests and a table which were pushed against a wall, and a pile of furs stacked against the far wall in the back. "This is your home," she concluded.

"Yeah," the Phantom confirmed, him and Toothless lighting a few torches and candles. "The height of luxury, as you can see."

"Well, if it makes you happy," she reacted, not sure what to say about it. She couldn't exactly call his place nice. It was kind of… minimal.

"Happy is a big word," the Phantom answered. "But since I'm usually out and about, it works out."

She nodded in response, resting her eyes on the table. Now that she could see more clearly, she realised it was a desk. Walking up to it, her eyes caught sight of the papers hanging on the wall it was standing against. There were loads of them.

Standing in front of the desk and looking over the papers, she realized they were designs. She didn't have the knowledge to fully decipher them, but she could make out the drawings. They were incredibly detailed, usually featuring either a dragon or something mechanical. Or a combination of the two. She spotted a Night Fury on quite a few of them.

"What are these?" she asked, leaning onto the desk and studying the drawings intently. They were incredible.

"Things I designed, mostly," the Phantom answered from somewhere behind her. "I like to get creative when I have some time to myself."

She rested her eyes on one of the drawings. "This is the Gronckle we saw at the lake, isn't it?" she asked, pointing at it. It showed a Gronckle from the side, its missing front leg replaced with something mechanical.

"Yes," the Phantom confirmed, walking up next to her. "I figured that, since human limbs are replaced with prosthetics all the time, maybe the same could be done for a dragon." She could hear him laugh softly. "But of course, it's not always that simple. So this one is still work-in-progress."

"Did any of them ever work?"

The Phantom stayed quiet for a moment, seemingly thinking his answer through. Finally, he answered: "Toothless' did."

"Toothless?" she asked, confused. "What's wrong with him?"

The dragon in question had walked up to them in the meantime, the Phantom kneeling down and softly scratching his chin. "He's missing his left tail fin," the Phantom added. "I built him a new one."

"Really?" She looked at the dragon. She didn't see anything that looked off.

"Come here," the Phantom beckoned her over. He took the Night Fury's tail in his hands, gesturing at her to do the same. Toothless did not move an inch when she did so, seemingly used to his tail being examined. It felt heavy in her hands, the structure of the two fins clearly different. The fake one was made out leather, kept together and strengthened by metal rods. Attached to the tail was a system of gears, rods and cables that seemed to connect to the saddle.

She heard the metallic sound she'd also heard when they were flying, and the tailfin changed position in her hands. She looked at the source of the sound and found the Phantom moving one of the saddle's stirrups. Carefully putting Toothless' tail back on the floor, she moved up to the Phantom. He let her fiddle around with the stirrup herself, which she found was actually a paddle. She watched Toothless' tailfin change position in response, the intricate system of cables and gears that covered nearly the entire dragon quickly responding to her every touch. It was amazing how it all worked together. She didn't know a thing about mechanics, but she couldn't deny how ingenious it was.

"I can't believe I hadn't seen it yet." She shook her head. The whole thing had been dyed black, but from up close the construction was clearly visible.

"Well I've done my best to make it as invisible as possible," the Phantom chuckled. "A red tailfin would have looked very cool, but pretty much makes you completely lose the benefit of stealth a black dragon has at night."

"Not the most tactical move indeed," she agreed. Walking back over to the Phantom's desk, she surveyed the designs on the wall that featured Toothless once more. Indeed, most of them featured constructions revolving around his tail.

"Was he born without it, or?" she asked, feeling like she already knew the answer.

"No," the Phantom softly responded. "He lost it when he crashed."

_After you shot it down_. The story of how these two met started to take more shape in her mind. Hiccup had actually shot down a Night Fury like he'd said, but instead of dying, it had lost its tail. And the blacksmith's apprentice had built him a new one… That must have been why she caught him acting suspicious that night at Gobber's forge as well! The weight of the revelations not truly having hit her yet, she was simply very happy that things were starting to make sense again. Even though she was currently in an absolutely bizarre place.

Wondering if she should just ask the Phantom to confirm her suspicions again or if she should be more clever about it, her eyes wandered down to the desk itself, which was littered with papers as well. The one thing the Phantom did not seem to be, was orderly. These papers seemed to mostly contain drawings of various species of dragons. They were incredibly detailed, the lines drawn with great care. The Phantom clearly had artistic talent. Her heart stopped however as her eyes landed on a couple of drawings that didn't feature a dragon.

They were drawings of a girl. They were drawn with charcoal, so they didn't feature any colour, but the girl's features were very recognizable nevertheless. The way she'd braided her hair, the clothes she wore… "This is me," she softly concluded.

Picking the drawings up, she studied them intently. They were beautiful, nearly better-than-life but realistic nevertheless. There was one of her simply sitting against a wall – either her cell's or the arena's, she figured, her knees pulled up, a forlorn look in her eyes. The next one was more animated, showing her in motion, throwing something. Probably drawn while she was playing fetch with Stormfly, she realized.

There were more drawings of her interacting with the dragon. One featured her sitting, Stormfly's head in her lap. On another one they were standing, her caressing the dragon's wings. Every drawing seemed to be drawn from life, although she was pictured more beautiful than she thought she was in each and every one of them. The final one featured a scene she was sure had not occurred in reality, however.

The Phantom had drawn two people instead of one. Viewed from the side, she saw herself pictured standing, drawn with incredible attention to detail, the strands of her hair and the fabric of her clothes – a long gown, it seemed – clearly visible. And in front of her was the figure of a man. He was drawn significantly rougher, with thick lines representing the darkness of his clothes. The Phantom himself.

The Phantom had drawn himself sitting on one knee, only a bit of dark, ruffled hair visible as his arms were lifted in front of his face; his head bowed down, his gloved hands holding hers. She knew the gesture all too well. It was one of respect and adoration above anything else.

Butterflies filling her stomach, she was startled by the Phantom wrapping his arms around her from behind. She hadn't even heard him walk up to her. Leaning his head on her shoulder, he softly asked, his voice incredibly low: "Do you like them?"

His warmth and his words made her dizzy, her body tingling pleasantly and her knees becoming liquid, making her feel unstable on her own feet. "I think they're beautiful," she answered truthfully.

"I'm glad," the Phantom whispered.

She turned around, looking at the man behind her. He was still wearing his helmet, nothing but his slender figure and his soul crushingly green eyes revealed to her. Feeling increasingly lightheaded, she just wanted him to let her see him. So she could yell at him for hiding for so long, for running away from Berk, so she could kiss him on his sweet lips…

Moving her hands up from her sides to his face, she hoped he'd let her move the visor up again like he had before. As soon as her hands landed on his helmet however, he tore himself away from her, rapidly stepping backwards and letting her go. She stumbled forward in response, her knees suddenly giving out beneath her. The Phantom was back to catch her just in time, his hands grasping her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worry filling his voice. Gods, why did she feel so dizzy? She thought being so close to him was making her feel light-headed, but it didn't seem to fade.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I think I might just be a little tired."

"When did you last sleep?"

"The night before Snoggletog?" she asked herself.

"Well, that explains your odd choice of colours," the Phantom quipped. She wanted to slap herself but was too afraid she'd fall over. She hadn't changed as she hadn't anticipated meeting anyone at the cove. The Phantom probably thought she looked ridiculous.

"No wonder you're tired if you've been up for nearly two days," the Phantom added. "When did you last eat even?"

"Uh, Snoggletog?" she tried.

"Gods, I'm a terrible host."

Her vision started to go slightly blurry as she'd finally admitted her exhaustion to herself. She could hardly make out how the Phantom was shaking his head. "I'm going to get you some food right now. Don't have much to offer besides fish, though."

"Fish is fine," she managed. Gods, how had she managed to power through for this long? The sleepiness that currently wreaked havoc in her brain was incomprehensible.

The Phantom started to move away from her, but as soon as he released her, she nearly toppled over. Before she realized what was happening, she found herself scooped up in the Phantom's arms. Realizing he was stronger than he looked, she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on with what little strength she still possessed. He took her to the corner of the room, putting her down on the stack of furs she'd seen there earlier. His bed, perhaps?

Drawing one of the furs over her, its warmth enveloping her, she found the Phantom leaning over her, his face incredibly close. Close enough for her to pull his helmet off.

He was quicker than she was however. As soon as she stretched out her hand, he moved away from her, the only body part still in reach being his wrist. She closed her hand around it. "Show me your face?" she asked him.

The Phantom shook his head, releasing himself from her hold with his other hand. "No. I'm going to get you some food and then you're going to rest." He interrupted her before she could protest. "We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

She wanted to protest again, but he was gone from her sight before she could. As cheap as it'd looked, the pile of furs did feel comfortable. It was incredibly warm too. Even though she knew she should never fall asleep in the presence of someone she didn't trust, she couldn't find the strength to fight it off. Slowly, as the smell of burning fire and cooked fish started to fill her nostrils, she let her exhaustion carry her away…

* * *

**I Remember…**

Astrid's head felt extremely heavy, sleep still keeping her in its hold. She'd had this crazy dream, and she wanted to get right back into it. She'd been with the Phantom, soaring through the sky… He'd taken her to his lair, showed her all these magnificent dragons. And their babies! He'd showed her where he lived, how talented he was when it came to both mechanical designs and art. He'd cared for her when she'd shown weakness. And all the while, he'd kept those gorgeous green eyes onto her, staring into her soul and swallowing her whole.

But as she moved around in her bed, trying to get a hold of her dream again, she realised that it wasn't actually her bed. It felt different…

Opening her eyes, she found herself in a cave, wrapped in furs. It was dimly lit by a few candles and torches, providing her with just enough light to properly see. It hadn't been a dream. She had actually fallen asleep in the Phantom's home.

Looking through the cave, she couldn't see any natural light falling in. Which meant it was still night, although it was night almost permanently in the Archipelago this time of year. So that didn't tell her much.

On top of the stone slab, she saw the Night Fury –  _Toothless_ – seemingly resting or asleep. He was curled up and didn't move much, only slowly up and down whenever he took a deep breath. He slightly snored, she realized. It sounded kind of cute.

Next to her, she found a wooden platter with a cooked salmon laid out on it. Cold, she quickly confirmed, but her rumbling stomach didn't seem to mind. Before she could sink her teeth into it however, she spotted the Phantom himself.

He was sitting at her feet, leaning against the wall, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Still wearing his helmet, a notebook on his lap and a charcoal pencil in his hand. But she couldn't find the green orbs she'd been so lost in the day before behind the slits in his helmet. His eyes were closed. After observing him for a while, his chest slowly rising and falling, she realized he was asleep.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she got up slightly, crawling towards him on her hands and knees, not making a sound so she wouldn't wake him or his dragon. Resting on her knees front of him, she could hear him inhale and exhale softly, peacefully.

Looking at the notebook in his lap, she found he had been drawing her once again. She was looking at it upside down and it wasn't finished yet, but it was stunning nevertheless. He'd drawn her under the furs, asleep. Her features were soft and she was sure she didn't actually look this pretty when sleeping, but his consideration for her was incredibly heart-warming.

She took a deep but silent breath. She wanted to confirm who he was. She needed to be sure. He'd told her they'd talk about it today, but how could she be sure? He'd always held her off or dodged her questions whenever she'd asked so far.

Lifting her hands, she hesitated for a moment. Should she? It'd solve all the mysteries if he was honest with her, it'd make talking to him so much easier if they could admit to each other who they were. They could look for a solution together, solve the endless struggle between the Phantom and Berk. Between dragons and Vikings. There could be peace. For everyone.

Having made her decision, she lifted her hands, resting them on the base of his helmet. Then, in one smooth movement, she pulled it off his head.

The first thing she noticed was the way his hair was drawn upwards from the friction and came down again afterwards. It was a beautiful shade of auburn, ruffled and messy, without any specific style to it, its longest strands just reaching his neck.

His face was that of a young man. It was less curvy than she remembered, his jaw and cheekbones more defined. His eyes were closed, his long lashes showing. His cheek was covered in freckles, his chin in a soft stubble. His nose was a little oversized, his thin lips slightly parted, revealing the gap between his two front teeth. His skin looked smooth, his ears slightly covered by his hair. He very much looked like how she would've imagined an adult version of Hiccup, just more handsome. She couldn't be more sure that it was him. But what her eyes were inadvertently drawn to was the right side of his face. The side she hadn't touched that night in the arena. Which was the polar opposite of his gorgeous left.

While his left eyebrow was dark and bushy, this one was as good as gone. The rest of his hair also seemed slightly thinner on this side. His skin looked rough, overall pink, occasionally bordering on red, small lines and indents clearly visible. His nose and lips were mostly intact, only their far right sides damaged in the same way. Starting from the corner of his mouth, a white, vein-like structure covered his cheek, circling his eye and reaching up to his forehead and his right ear, which looked slightly deformed. The redness only seemed to stop after it'd wrapped itself around his chin, leaving his neck as good as intact.

They were undoubtedly burn scars. She had seen them before, but they were usually not this big. Judging by their colouring, he had had them for years. And judging by the roughness of his skin, they'd never go away. She couldn't even begin to image what the wounds had originally looked like. Or what had caused them.

The overall realization took her breath away. She had been right. The Phantom was the chief's son, the boy they'd thought dead for five years. He was alive and he was their enemy. In the moment, she didn't know what to do with that confirmation. Was she supposed to yell at him, to run and go tell Stoick, his father? Or was she supposed to take on a different role in this?

Frozen there in time, only mere seconds having passed, she could not help but simply stare at his face. At the duality of it; handsomeness on one side, incredible hurt on the other. She wondered what had happened to him. What was the Phantom's true story? What was the story of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III?

Then, Hiccup opened his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And. Here. We. Are. Three part reveal: Done! From suspecting the Phantom might have something to do with Hiccup, to heavily suspecting that he is Hiccup, to knowing he's Hiccup. We're finally here and I'm extremely delighted to be here as I've been building towards it since the very beginning. The question now of course becomes how both of these characters will deal with the fact that Astrid knows, given that Hiccup is exposed and the Phantom's spell has been broken.
> 
> There's so much in this chapter that I honestly can't talk about it in just a short note; from the Titanic/Aladdin/Romantic Flight-inspired flying scenes, to us finally learning more about Hiccup's life, to of course, the big reveal.
> 
> A final, pre-emptive note regarding Hiccup's scars; there's a reason he has them. It's obviously a parallel to the Phantom of the Opera – although the Phantom is horrendously deformed, and Hiccup is "simply" scarred – but they're not there just because of that. I wouldn't have put them there if they didn't serve the plot in any way! Regarding the design of his scars, I'll probably do a post on that on my Tumblr this week.


	14. Stranger Than You Dreamt It & Magical Lasso/Notes/Prima Donna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are again! Earlier this week, I promised on my Tumblr (aleteia-ff) that I would post on Thursday and I'm very glad to be able to follow through on that.
> 
> As already teased on my Tumblr as well, this chapter will consist of two parts; the first part will pick up where the last one left off, whereas the second part will introduce a new – minor – POV character. And no, it's not Hiccup!
> 
> I will also be seeing HTTYD3 on Saturday (I am from the Netherlands and the movie releases early here) but will not include any plot details from that movie in Phantom of the Arena, regardless of what happens. So no spoilers here!
> 
> That said… please enjoy!

**Stranger Than You Dreamt It**

Astrid didn't move, but simply watched Hiccup's green eyes widen as he seemed to realize what was going on. His eyes went from her face to his helmet in her hands. Then, he drew his lips into a line, his pupils almost visibly shrinking.

"You bitch," he spat.

He got up before she could react, grabbing her wrists and pulling her to her feet. She dropped his helmet in shock. There was nothing tender about his grip. The expression on Hiccup's face was as cold as ice, freezing her soul. Before she realised what was going on, he was making her back away from his bed, pushing and pulling her along. She tried to resist, to dig her heels into the ground or to kick him, but he was stronger than she was – miles away from the scrawny boy from Berk – and the rock solid floor wouldn't give.

"Hiccup?" she asked, trying to remain as calm as possible. "What are you doing?"

Hiccup laughed wryly to himself, shaking his head. "You apparently think you're  _so clever_ , try to figure it out." He had dropped the accent. It was Hiccup's own voice, his slightly nasal and whiny tone, which was currently completely creeping her out.

It didn't escape her attention how they were slowly getting closer and closer to the cave's edge. She kept trying to free herself from his grip, but his hold was so strong that she was sure that if he hadn't been wearing gloves, his fingernails would've been buried deep into her skin. She tried to topple him over, but whenever she approached him, he'd parry her and push her backwards with one of his boots.

As they arrived at the edge, her practically standing on it, panic took a hold of her. Looking behind her, she could still see the deep abyss. He wouldn't, right? He was Hiccup, he couldn't!?

"Damn you, Astrid," he told her. His face was close to hers, but there wasn't a sign of friendliness on it. Harshly, he nudged her backwards once more. One of her feet slipped, sending her tumbling backwards. She yelped, fearing she'd fall. Hiccup held onto her, but increased the distance between them, keeping her at an arm's length from his body. She managed to place her foot on the side of the cavern wall, but now found herself balancing over the edge. If Hiccup let her go, she'd fall. Hundreds of meters downwards.

"Hiccup, please," she begged, looking at him pleadingly. "Please don't."

"You little viper," he bit. "Is this what you wanted?"

Before she could shake her head, he released one of her wrists. She screamed once more, slightly losing her balance but quickly realising that this was her chance. With one hand free, she could actually fight back. Instinctively, she reached for her back to get her battle axe. Only to realise it wasn't there. Neither was her dagger.

Hiccup laughed. Gods, him doing so in his own voice rather than in the Phantom's was even more harrowing. Sweet, little Hiccup's voice. About to kill her. "Don't think I'm that trusting, Astrid," he told her. "I took them all away. So you'd sleep better, of course."

"Please, Hiccup, pull me back up," she tried, tears appearing in her eyes.

She had been so stupid. She'd assumed that because the Phantom had never hurt her no matter what she'd done – apart from obliterating her shoulder, but that was before all... this – he wouldn't ever lay a finger on her. She hadn't thought about how he'd react to his helmet being pulled off – after all, he was Hiccup, and Hiccup was no killer, he was the clumsy boy from Berk. But she'd been wrong. So, so wrong. The man who was menacingly staring at her right now was nowhere close to the Hiccup she'd vaguely known. And that had been her mistake. Assuming things had stayed the same. While they clearly hadn't.

Toothless appeared next to Hiccup, seemingly woken up by the noise. He looked at her with sad eyes, which made her feel like her fate was even more sealed. There was nothing she could do. She could hardly reach Hiccup, and even if she managed to, what would she do? It was two against one. She could try to pull him down with her, but the dragon would save him and possibly kill her. She was unarmed, defenceless. She didn't like to beg, but it was her only option at this point.

"Please, Hiccup," she tried. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, I –"

"We had a good thing going, Astrid," Hiccup said, slightly cocking his head and taking her in with a faked sense of pity. "It's such a shame you had to ruin it. You little demon."

"Hiccup, don't, please don't," she cried, begging him fully. "Please, I don't want to die! I'm sorry –"

Hiccup pulled her up slightly, still looking at her with an icy glare. She felt relieved for a moment and tried to grab him with her other hand to steady herself. But he swat it away.

"I don't believe you," he told her as he increased the distance between them once again. She sputtered and cried, but the expression on his face did not change. He looked at her with no other emotion than that of pure hate. "Bye,  _Astrid_."

He released her wrist. She fell. She screamed, tumbling downwards, her limbs flailing around. Time slowed down as she realised she was going to die, her mind frantically looking for ways to increase her chance of survival. Even though she'd fall into a lake, the impact with the water surface alone was likely to kill her, shattering her back if she'd land flat on it. She didn't know how deep it was; diving in head-first would likely yield her a broken neck if she hit the lake's floor. And feet first would shatter all the bones in her legs and possibly her spine. It was hopeless. She'd need a miracle.

She fell for what felt like ages, her sense of time evaporating, her own scream ringing in her ears. This was it. She'd tried. And she'd failed. She'd miscalculated the ruthlessness of Berk's worst enemy. She'd let herself be played like a puppet by the Phantom. Hauled in by his sweet words, blind to what had been behind his façade. And now she was about to die in a cave full of dragons. At the hand of someone once considered a Viking.

The lake's surface rapidly coming closer, she braced herself for impact. But it never came.

Instead, she felt two claws close themselves around her shoulders, yanking her back up. Black ones. Only a few seconds later, her feet were being dragged over solid ground, the claws releasing her. She fell to her knees instantly, all strength sucked out of her body. Panting, she tried to get back to her senses. She was alive.

Looking around her, she found herself on the lake's stone shore. Hiccup and his dragon were in front of her, the former getting off and leaning against the latter, his arms crossed, the eyebrow he no longer had pulled up.

She looked back at him. He'd saved her. But he'd been the one to try to kill her as well. How?  _Why?_

After sitting there on the floor, on hands and knees, trembling, for minutes on end, she finally managed to calm her heart down enough to allow her to speak. "You're a madman," she panted.

"Never denied that," Hiccup simply responded.

"You tried to kill me," she stated, still trying to come to terms with the situation herself.

"Astrid, we've been over this I don't know how many times now," he bit. "I don't kill people."

"You gave it your best shot," she snapped back, transforming her intense fear into anger. "If you weren't trying to kill me, why did you do it?"

"You deserved it."

"What!?" she spit. "How could I possibly deserve  _that_?"

"I gave you a tiny sliver of my trust," Hiccup explained. "And you broke it."

"I broke  _your_  trust?" she snapped, finding the strength to get back to her feet in her upcoming anger. "What about  _my_ trust!?  _You just threw me down from gods know how high!"_  Tears of fear, her mind still processing what had just happened, and anger welled up in her eyes. "You knew I'd figured out who you were! Why didn't you tell me!? Why didn't you just show me your  _face_!?"

"We had a deal. We'd talk about it today," Hiccup snapped, his posture unchanged.

"It's not that simple!" she blazed. "You played with me for months, left me wondering who you were! Every. fucking. night!" She didn't know how much longer he was going to let her hold onto her life this time, so she had to make sure he knew how she felt. "I even  _helped_ you! You can't blame me for wanting to know who you are! Besides, how was I supposed to be sure you'd actually follow up on what you said? Given that you consistently dodge every question I ask!?"

"It's not like you gave me a chance," Hiccup spat. "You betrayed me first chance you got."

"You betrayed  _all of us_!" she yelled, his accusing tone sending her over the edge. "You left Berk, you chose the fucking dragons over us!" She balled her fists. "You let us think you were  _dead_! For  _five years_! Gods, all of Berk  _still_  thinks you're dead!"

"Oh,  _boo-hoo_!" Hiccup yelled back at her, angrily gesturing and walking up to her, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Poor no-good Hiccup is dead! Berk has finally been released of its greatest burden!  _What an incredible tragedy_!"

"We looked for you!" she screamed. "All winter!"

Hiccup scoffed angrily. "No, you didn't. You looked for Hiccup, the Prodigy Dragon Killer. You didn't look for Hiccup the Dragon Rider, or for Hiccup the Clumsy, Hiccup the Chaotic, Hiccup the Fuck-Up. You looked for who you wanted me to be." He looked down at her, disdain in his eyes. "No one ever looked for me."

She shook her head, refusing to accept his words. "That's not true. We looked for  _you_! So did I, I –"

Hiccup interrupted her by laughing loudly. "Don't even try to pretend you cared for me, Astrid. You told me yourself.  _You hated me_." The iciness with which he threw her own words back at her echoed through the cave. "You looked for me because you felt guilty, not because you cared for me. You never did."

Before she could open her mouth to retort, Hiccup interjected: "And don't even try to pretend you care for me now. You have some sort of weird, dysfunctional crush on the Phantom." He scoffed, pointing at his own face, which was still clearly visible. Including his scars. "The Phantom's a persona. This guy? You don't know him at all."

She stared back at him in anger, hardly even registering what he was saying to her, or the meaning of his words. She wasn't going to let him talk to her like this. "Don't act like you're the good guy in this.  _You left us_. You knew about dragons all along, you've known about the queen for gods know how long, you could've helped us!" She gestured wildly, acting out her exasperation. "Together, we could've solved this! But you didn't even tell any of us. You just ran, like a coward." She walked up to him, trying to regain a bit of dominance. Toothless warbled angrily in response, but she didn't care. She'd almost died just now. She could do it again. "And you never even looked back. You could've come back, but you didn't." She pretended like she just remembered something, overacting the gesture to mock him. "Oh wait, you did!  _To torment us_!"

Hiccup just eyed her, seemingly unimpressed. "Because of course, Astrid, things were that simple!" he threw back at her with just as much sarcasm. "I could've just walked up to my dad and told him I'd befriended a dragon. He would have been  _absolutely fine with it_. Could've told you too; you didn't absolutely hate my guts after all." The way he consistently glared at her intensified. "Of course you'd go as far as calling a 15-year old boy a coward for leaving the village that almost physically spat on him."

Hiccup turned around, walking up to Toothless and fumbling around in the dragon's saddlebags. After a moment, he made his way back to her. "And besides, I did come back. After winter had passed, I returned to the cove on Berk. And I found my "memorial stone"." He waved his hands around, seemingly painting the words in the sky. " _In honour of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Berk's Bravest Dragon Killer_." He scoffed. "Not even half a year later, and I was already dead to Berk. But that part could be fixed. The way it had chosen to remember me however, couldn't." Hiccup bit his lip, his expression having changed from sheer anger to a mixture of incredible anger and something she supposed looked like hurt. "I was everything my village did not want me to be. I guess we could say it wasn't really the 'Welcome Home' I'd expected. So I decided that it no longer was."

"That what no longer was?" she responded, asking him an actual question for the first time since the start of their argument.

"That Berk was no longer my home."

"That doesn't make it right, what you did to Berk. What you're still doing to it," she retorted.

"And what gives Berk the right to kill dragons?" he asked.

"They attack us. We defend ourselves," she answered stoically. Despite her current beliefs about dragons, that answer had been carved deep into her brain.

"I just don't quite believe that," Hiccup told her. He'd walked up to her and was now looking at her, revealing that he was holding a piece of rope. "Hold out your hands."

"Why?" she asked, defensively backing away from him. She hadn't forgotten how he'd just nearly killed her.

Hiccup closed in on her again. "Because I'm taking you back to Berk. And I don't want you to try anything funny."

That didn't seem logical. "Why would you do that?" she hissed.

"Because I don't want to kill you, but I don't want to deal with you any longer either," he bit. "And dropping you in the middle of the ocean would make me seem cruel."

"Aren't you afraid I'll tell everyone who you are?" she threatened.

Hiccup scoffed. "If you want to tell Berk who I am, be my guest. Feel free to tell my dad how his son has become his village's nightmare. See if that helps him hunt me down." Hiccup laughed, the tone of voice nearly freezing the space around them. "Especially considering he's been doing an absolutely marvellous job at that so far." He closed in on her, using his height to tower over her. "If you're willing to have that on your conscience, go ahead. But then again, why wouldn't you? If you think I'm a traitor, what does that make you?"

Trembling in anger as he threw his insults at her, she lost the last sliver of self-control she still possessed. In one smooth movement, she flattened her hand, lifted it, and struck Hiccup right across his cheek. The impact threw his head sideward, a red imprint of her hand clearly visible on the good side of his face. Its colour now almost matched that of his right. "You're despicable," she spat, making sure some of her spit actually landed on his face.

She heard Hiccup swear under his breath as he wiped his face with his glove, finishing with an audible "Curse you" directed at her as he violently grabbed her wrists. She kicked him in response, backing away as soon as he winced and let her go.

"Look, Astrid," Hiccup hissed as he moved back to her. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. If you dare to hit me again, I'll gladly let Toothless blast you to pieces." He gestured at the Night Fury, who growled in response, assuming a predatory stance. As friendly as the dragon had looked the day before, it certainly wasn't on her side today. "So just let me tie your hands so I can take you home. And then we can both continue living our lives without each other's  _delightful_  presence in it."

"I don't think we're quite done here," she hissed, not backing down so easily. There were so many things she wanted him to pay for.

"I am," Hiccup bit. "So choose wisely."

After staring at him, hoping her gaze would make him change his mind but finding him unfazed, she deliberated for a second. Voluntarily letting her hands be tied was a bad idea in nearly every scenario, but what other options did she have? If she tried to fight him, he'd win. She wasn't bad at hand-to-hand combat, surely better than Hiccup himself, but the dragon gave him an unfair advantage. And even if she managed to somehow outsmart Toothless, there were hundreds of dragons around her. They were currently keeping their distance from whatever was going on, but she was quite sure they'd rush in to protect their "alpha" if necessary. Perhaps even Stormfly. She always came second, after all.

She didn't see another solution than to listen to him. She wanted to get out of here. She wanted to go home. And he was the only one who could get her there.

With a deep sigh but not completely resigned, she held out her hands in front of her. "Fine," she mumbled.

"Thank the gods," Hiccup snarled as he took her wrists in his hands, quickly tying them together.

As he worked, she couldn't help but look at his face, which was currently extremely close to hers. She studied it more intently, her eyes often resting on the lines of his scars. She  _hated_  how he looked handsome in spite of them. Or maybe even slightly because of them.

"What happened to your face?" she grumbled, unable to control her curiosity.

Hiccup laughed wryly. "You want to know how I got these scars? Let's just say I was naïve and stupid, and my luck ran out. That's all you need to know."

"Is that why you hide your face?" she prodded.

Hiccup scoffed as he checked the strength of the knots he'd tied her wrists together with. She could feel the rope cut into her skin; so if you asked her, it was tight enough.

"No, I don't hide my face because I am ashamed of my scars," he answered, seemingly content with his work. "They made me who I am. Besides, they keep the right people away and earn you respect with others." He gave her a slightly wicked smile. She noticed how the right side of his mouth didn't respond as smoothly as the left. "After all, you said it yourself;  _It's only fun if you get a scar out of it_."

Ignoring the jab at 15-year old Astrid's philosophies as Hiccup moved behind her and started pushing her towards Toothless, she asked: "Then why do you hide it?"

"Because I don't want to deal with people who think they know who I am," he snapped as he sort-of pushed, sort-of helped her onto Toothless' back. "Like you."

"Then why did you even bring me here in the first place?" she bit at him while he got on behind her.

"I make mistakes too," Hiccup answered while putting his feet in the stirrups and setting his hands on the saddle's edge. His arms were around her once again, but there was not a single hint of fondness in it this time around. "I thought you were different. I was wrong."

Before she could argue back, they shot off from the floor. They landed back in Hiccup's cave, him quickly grabbing his helmet from the floor and fixating it back on his head.

"Can I have my weapons back?" she tried.

"No, I could use the spare metal," Hiccup retorted, leaping off of the edge the cave and diving downwards. After gaining some speed, he pulled Toothless up again, sending them rocketing out of the volcano's mouth and into the sky.

* * *

**Magical Lasso/Notes/Prima Donna**

Life had roughly been the same for Stoick the Vast throughout the years. For twenty of them, he had been a husband without a wife. For five of them, he had been a father without a son. But for all fifty of them, he had been Berk's chief, or chief-to-be. A job that only became harder the longer his life lasted.

The war with the dragons had been a given from the moment he was born. That was something he'd been able to prepare himself for, something he knew he'd have to deal with. What no one had prepared him for however was what and who he'd lose along the way. And how much more difficult his work would become because of it. And with what had to be a human ally now fighting alongside the dragons, his never-ending task as Chief – to keep his village safe from harm – had started to become nearly impossible.

At first, he hadn't thought much of it when a few dragons were released from the arena. They could easily catch some new ones, given the frequency of raids. What came with it however was something that even he could not handle. In his lifetime, he had killed more dragons than he could keep count of. He had cut off their tails, had torn their wings to shreds and had pulverised their skulls. But this was a new kind of enemy.

The Phantom made sure he was never seen and never heard. He worked tactically, striking where people weren't looking and taking whatever he felt was his. He always avoided direct combat and to this day, no one on Berk had even caught as much as a glimpse of him. He never killed, but he had taken nearly everything from Berk nevertheless. And Stoick had been powerless to stop it.

How do you find something you can't see? How do you outplay someone who always seems to be one step ahead? How do you keep rebuilding a village, knowing it'll be destroyed again the second you take your eyes off of it? How do you keep your people from turning on each other because they can't find someone else to blame? How much longer can you keep your face straight, knowing that everyone's looking at you to solve their problems?

The Phantom was playing with them. Stoick had known that for a long time. Burning their food supplies to ashes, then saving them from the disaster he'd created himself… Some people had even momentarily seen the man as their saviour. Which was absurd.

And he was letting all of it happen. As chief, he was responsible. He was letting everyone consistently get strung along. And no matter how hard he'd tried for the past one and a half years, he'd been powerless to stop it.

In spite of all that however, he had to stay strong. If Berk sensed their chief no longer knew what to do, panic would most certainly reign. And he couldn't let that happen.

So, on the second day after Snoggletog, he was patrolling the village once again, helping the people with their problems and answering questions if need be. It was as cold as ever, but he kept his spirits up nevertheless. He liked this part of the job; the more everyday problems allowed him to temporarily take his attention away from the bigger challenges Berk faced. Even though they continuously weighed on him nevertheless.

Of course there were always those everyday problems that required more attention than others. And that category of problems was usually caused by the Thorston twins. And this day was no different from the others.

Stoick found the two troublemakers in the centre of the village, a group of children and teens gathered around them. In the distance, less hidden behind a building than he thought he was, was Snotlout, his nose visibly purple as a result of the punch Tuffnut had landed on it. The two young men apparently hadn't put aside their differences yet.

Stoick waited for a minute, confirming his suspicions before he'd interject.

"Remind me brother, what is that we've learned about  _the Phantom of the Arena_?" Ruffnut asked her twin.

"Good question, sis," Tuffnut added. "We know – so this is first-hand information." He looked around the circle of faces, laying his eyes on every single one of them. "That the Phantom is actually not a man."

Ruffnut gasped in response, inducing the same sound from the crowd. " _He isn't?"_

Tuffnut nodded. "No, he isn't, my dear sister. The Phantom is in fact not a man, but the ghost of a dragon himself. It is said that this dragon – whose species remains unknown to this day – was killed in Berk's very own arena. And now, it has come back to  _haunt us_." Pretending to be a ghost himself, Tuffnut made some of the children nearly jump backwards.

"He doesn't breathe fire from his mouth, but he shoots it out of his  _eyes_ ," Ruffnut added.

"It is said he does not have a nose," Tuffnut chimed in again, mimicking everything they were telling.

"He doesn't walk; he  _floats_." Ruffnut crouched to get to the children's eye-height.

"Which is why he never leaves footprints," her brother completed.

"And he only eats yak dung."

"Except for on the weekends! Then he eats…" They were building up the tension, coming closer to the climax of their story.

"Children!" the twins yelled, synchronised.

As some of their audience ran away in fear, Stoick decided he'd had enough of the twins' little play. "Telling fictional ghost-stories again?" he asked, speaking up loudly enough for most people to hear. The twins looked visibly shocked as they realised they'd been caught.

"Kids, you should know by now that nothing the twins say is true," Stoick mused as he walked up to the group, immediately seeing the consoling effect his presence had on some of the shocked kids' faces. The teens knew better than to believe the twins and usually just stuck around them because they were synonym to trouble. The looks on their faces was just as guilty as those on the twins'. "They don't know who the Phantom is and he does not eat children. They're just trying to scare you."

"Chief," one of the teenagers asked. Gustav Larson, he recognized. He knew every face on Berk. "Do you know who the Phantom is?"

Stoick loathed this question. But he always answered it truthfully. "No," he calmly told them. "But I know he's not strong enough to take down Berk."

"Besides, if I were the Phantom, I'd go after these two troublemakers instead of the children," a voice behind him chimed in.

Stoick turned around. "Ah, Gobber," he greeted his long-time friend.

"Can I borrow you for a minute, Stoick?" the blacksmith beckoned with his prosthetic, which had taken on the shape of a hammer today.

He sighed. Unfortunately, he knew all too well what Gobber wanted to talk to him about. He nodded and turned to the twins. "You two: take home the children you've brought to tears and explain to their parents exactly why that happened. I'll be back to check soon."

The twins nodded – as much stuff as they pulled, they did not have the guts to directly disobey orders. They just consistently looked for things their chief hadn't specifically forbid them to do. He'd have to make a list sometime.

Following Gobber, they soon arrived at his workshop. It was even more of a mess than it normally was; they were hoping to get their weapons supply back up to the normal level now that the Phantom and his dragons had seemingly abandoned them for the winter. It wasn't going well.

"You got another one?" Stoick asked.

His friend nodded. "Yes, after sabotaging most of our new weapons over Snoggletog, he actually had the guts to drop another one this morning. Or well, the Terrible Terror did."

"He seems to have an endless supply of those," Stoick noted. They'd killed at least ten of the little dragons ever since the Phantom had started to use them as messengers. They moved over to Gobber's desk, a small note laid out on top of it. "Anything out of the ordinary?"

The blacksmith shook his head. "No, the usual stuff. Metal connection rods, bolts, gears. Smaller parts mostly, which are very time-consuming to make."

"The usual indeed," he concurred. He sighed, this decision always weighing heavily on him. "I guess, given that he seems to still be around despite it being winter, we have no other choice than to give him what he wants."

"Again," Gobber added dejected. "Did you receive any kind words from the Phantom for the holiday?"

"Nothing I haven't seen before." Another note had been waiting for him this morning. " _Leave, stop killing dragons, stop making weapons, don't dare to repair your watchtowers_. One of those, ending in  _Or else_. I don't even keep track of which one I receive on what day anymore. Given that I can't possibly oblige to any of them."

"Makes you wonder why he sends them," Gobber pondered as he went through his supplies, looking for the parts the Phantom had demanded. They'd usually put them out behind the forge, and the Phantom would pick them up during the night.

"Maybe he wants to make us believe that if we listen to him, he'll let us be. Or he just wants to make sure we don't forget about him. It's hard to say, given that he's a madman. Can't know what goes on in those people's heads."

"Then why do you still listen to him?" an annoying voice interjected.

Both Stoick and Gobber looked at the door. "Good day to you too, Spitelout," Gobber mused sarcastically as the man in question walked in.

The workshop becoming slightly crowded with three fully grown men inside of it, Stoick did not feel like this was going to be a friendly conversation.

"If you keep making him those supplies, you're just giving him what he wants," Spitelout argued. "We're helping him."

"Then what do you propose we do instead?" Stoick asked, not looking forward to having this discussion. It wasn't the first time they'd had it.

"He's a terrorist," Spitelout simply said. "And we shouldn't negotiate with terrorists."

"I agree, he is," Stoick concurred. The worst kind of terrorist Berk had ever seen. "But it's not a coincidence that, with all our military and tactical buildings consistently being blown up, this place has only ever seen a minor fire. Which happened the one time we did not meet his demands. We can't afford to lose the forge, Spitelout."

"And he knows that," Spitelout pointed out. "He's got us right where he wants us."

"I know he does," Stoick admitted. That fact stung him immensely. "But what if he blows up this place? What will we do then? It'll take us weeks, if not months, to build a new forge. We don't have that much time. Especially considering he's not going to start leaving us alone."

"It's not like we haven't tried to catch him," Gobber chimed in. "I watched the stuff he was supposed to pick up until I nearly lost another limb from the lack of movement. But he's always quicker. Or extremely patient. One time, it took him over two weeks to pick up what he'd asked for. I'd been on watch the whole time. Then I sneezed – particularly loudly, I might add – and it was gone. Only took my eyes off of it for a second."

Stoick nodded, looking Spitelout sternly in the eye. "Every attempt we've made to capture him or sabotage him has failed. So if you have a better idea, I'd like to hear it."

Spitelout stayed quiet, simply staring back at his Chief.

"Exactly," Stoick confirmed. "So until you do, I'm not risking losing this forge." He gestured to himself and the two other men. "And whatever happens here, stays between the three of us." Since Spitelout was officially his second-in-command, they hadn't been able to conceal the Phantom's consistent stream of notes for very long. Although Stoick wished they could have. It was of utmost importance that the rest of Berk did not figure out they were making deals with the Phantom. It would only seed more doubt, which was the last thing they needed.

"You can't keep this up forever, Stoick," Spitelout bit before walking out, rejection audible in his voice. The double meaning behind his words did not escape the Chief of Berk.

"That was constructive," Gobber remarked when their colleague was out of earshot.

"I don't know why he still tries," Stoick sighed. "He's right in a sense, but he knows there's no other way. We've been over this countless times."

"Well, we both know it's not about that," Gobber answered, getting back to whatever he was working on. "The longer you keep his boy away from what Spitelout thinks he deserves, the more often he's going to act up like this."

He knew that all too well. Shaking his head, he said: "I can't make Snotlout chief in a time like this. He'd hardly be competent in normal circumstances."

"You're not exactly giving the boy a chance either," Gobber pointed out.

Stoick shot him a look, but Gobber knew him better than to be fazed by that. The blacksmith put his tools down for a minute, looking his friend in the eye with an amount of pity Stoick did not like to receive. "You can't keep it reserved for Hiccup forever, Stoick. He's not coming back."

"I know," Stoick admitted. He'd known that for a long time. Still, he couldn't pass on the position his family had fulfilled for generations to the Jorgensons that easily. Snotlout had to deserve it first. The Haddock bloodline would die with Stoick the Vast, but their honour wouldn't. He would make sure of that. Even if it was the last thing he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I just end a chapter without too much of a terrible cliff hanger? I think I did!
> 
> Some of you had already predicted that Hiccup's reaction wouldn't be the most cheery, and you were right. It feels very satisfying to have this chapter and the confrontation between Astrid and Hiccup - rather than Astrid and The Phantom - done! Although I did have to teach myself to write Hiccup rather than the Phantom while writing Astrid's POV in this chapter… Kept getting it wrong as I'm so used to calling Hiccup The Phantom by now.
> 
> I want to thank you all again for your continued support!


	15. Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh & All I Ask Of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! Thank you all once again for your continued support :) Even if I don't always reply, I do read every comment you guys post on here and I really appreciate your feedback. I've seen that some on last chapter weren't entirely positive, but I value those deeply too; they provide me with a perspective on what I wrote and how I could frame things better moving forward. So a big thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart.
> 
> On an additional note; I saw HTTYD3 last Saturday. I loved it, but I won't talk about it at all on here and can absolutely confirm that I do not have anything related to the plot of that movie scheduled for this story. I outlined the storyline of Phantom months ago and fitting in things from HTTYD3 would first of all potentially spoil the story for some of you and second of all, it simply wouldn't fit.
> 
> This is a long one, so I hope you guys enjoy!

**Poor Fool, He Makes Me Laugh**

Astrid and Hiccup did not exchange a single word on the flight back to Berk. Quite frankly, she didn't know what to say to him. She was incredibly angry for the things he'd just done and said. Mainly the things he'd done. Words didn't always hurt. Nearly falling to your death did.

She considered letting herself slide off Toothless, plunging into the ocean and freeing herself from Hiccup, but there were several problems with that plan. First of all, Hiccup still had her arms around her, making it hard for her to do so. Secondly, her hands were tied so even if she managed to free herself, she wouldn't be able to properly swim. Thirdly, they were flying  _really_ high and she wasn't looking forward to plummeting down to the earth for the third time in one day. So, she opted to stay on the dragon and to see if Hiccup actually brought her home. She briefly considered ramming his nose with her tied fists but figured that wouldn't particularly increase the odds of her day ending peacefully.

They were flying way faster than they had on the way to Hiccup's island, Toothless now repeatedly beating his wings instead of calmly gliding through the sky. Hiccup was pressing her down into the saddle, leaning forward so the wind didn't slow them down too much. Still, it took them hours to get to their destination. Not that they were flying straight there. She noticed how Hiccup repeatedly turned and changed direction. She didn't need to ask to know what he was doing. He didn't want her to know the way back.

Finally, after hours, the sun nearly setting on the Archipelago's short day, Berk came into sight. Still not feeling comfortable with landing, especially not at this speed, Astrid closed her eyes and soon found herself back in the cove. Hiccup gave her the space to dismount and she was soon standing back in the snow, looking at the Heir to Berk's throne through the slits of his helmet.

What was she supposed to say? Did she tell him goodbye? Did she ask him one of the thousand questions currently on her mind? To explain himself, to apologize for his ridiculous behaviour?

Hiccup didn't give her the time to think. He directed his eyes to the heavens above them and before she realised what he was doing, Toothless and his rider shot off, back into the sky, the gust of wind the Night Fury's wings produced shoving her backwards and sending the snow around her into the air. And just like that, they were gone. Hiccup was gone. Again. Her guts told her he'd be back. But she had no idea when. Or in what way.

Somehow, she found her way through the forest and back to Berk. Somehow, she managed to drag herself up to her room – her parents used enough to her occasionally being gone for a night not to ask any questions. There, still sitting on her desk as she had neglected to put it away the day before, was the Night Fury statuette. She picked it up, cradling it in her hands. She didn't know what to do with it. She didn't know what to do with herself. And as she finally let in the incredible mixture of emotions she'd felt in the past day and a half, she shattered. Broken, she didn't know what to do but cry.

The next few days went by like that. Having lost her own battle axe, she was forced to retrieve her old one, the one she had used for dragon training. It was the axe Hiccup had always sharpened for her when he was still Gobber's apprentice. Distraught and feeling guilty, she'd asked the blacksmith to make her a new one after Hiccup had disappeared, claiming she'd outgrown her own. She was sure that Gobber hadn't bought her excuse at the time, but he'd obliged nevertheless, consumed by grief himself. How ironic that she now had no choice but to use the old thing again.

In spite of everything, she forced herself to go outside, to do the things she always did, but her mind was continuously scrambled as it tried to come to terms with her experiences. Hiccup and the Phantom were one and the same person. Hiccup had not died in the cove five years ago. He had left Berk on the back of a Night Fury. And he now rode it into war against Berk, siding with the dragons instead of with the tribe he was born in.

It was fantastical in its essence. It made so little sense. Hiccup, the scrawny, clumsy boy from Berk. Now their worst enemy. And the one who had played her all those months. Which was perhaps the hardest thing for her to accept. How easily she had been deceived. And how easily she had trusted him. His stories had been so wonderful, the way he talked to her and held her so sweet… But he had shown his true face. Or at least, that's what she had to make herself believe it was.

In the meantime, life in Berk went on as it usually did. Tuffnut and Snotlout were still at odds and avoiding each other, with Ruffnut caught in the crossfire. But apart from that, nothing out of the ordinary was going on on Berk. She just couldn't trick her mind into believing that as well.

Whenever people talked to her, whenever people just as much as looked at her, she felt like they knew she knew. She hadn't told anyone yet. She just didn't know where to start. Or who to tell. If her own mind still hadn't figured it out, how was she supposed to convey what she knew to others? And how was she supposed to say she found out who the Phantom was?

In an attempt to clear up her thoughts, she tried to put together what Hiccup's story was supposed to be, taken what she knew. Or thought she knew.

Hiccup had been born on Berk almost 21 years ago. His mother had been killed by dragons when he was still a baby, leaving Berk's chief without a wife and Hiccup with only one parent. He had grown up with the rest of them, always eager to prove himself as a capable dragon killer, but he'd always been the runt of the pack. And when one night he claimed to have shot down a Night Fury, no one had believed him. Why would they have? It was highly unlikely, and it wouldn't have been the first time he falsely claimed to have hit something.

But this time around he'd spoken the truth. He hadn't confirmed it, but she suspected that that was how Toothless had lost his tailfin. And somehow – although she really could not see how that had happened – the boy and the dragon had become friends. Hiccup had built Toothless a new tail, and he'd learnt the tricks he used to succeed in dragon training. But when the time came to kill an actual dragon, he couldn't. And he'd decided to leave. Which is why she had seen the Night Fury on the very day he disappeared.

Whatever had happened afterwards was a mystery. She didn't know if she could believe the stories Hiccup had told her. But somewhere along the way, he had grown into the deceivably handsome but twisted man she'd seen. Along with sustaining the terrible burns that covered his face.

But what was true for sure, regardless of what he had and had not lied about, was that he was the Phantom. And there was only one person in Berk she felt she could trust with that information. But that person happened to be Hiccup's father.

Stoick and she had agreed on Snoggletog to have tea more often, and she'd followed through on that promise, as hard as it was. But if she wasn't ready to talk, she certainly couldn't allow others to get suspicious.

So there she found herself, having tea with Berk's chief, discussing everyday life in the village. From what had happened between Tuffnut and Snotlout, to axe sharpening techniques, to the upcoming yearly livestock counting. Stoick liked to share stories from before she was born as well, and although she usually liked to listen to him reminisce about the past, she couldn't keep her attention on it today.

They were in his house. Hiccup's home. On the floor above them was Hiccup's room – still untouched as far as she knew. And in front of her was his father. The man who had lost his son and who had never said a bad word about him since. How do you tell a man like that that his son has become the person he hates from the depths of his heart?

How could she reveal to him that she'd broken his trust by talking to the Phantom for months? She had allegedly broken his son's trust as well, and he had not exactly taken that well. Not that Stoick was even remotely close to his son in that sense. But what Hiccup said to her consistently echoed through her head.  _If you think I'm a traitor, what does that make you?_

So the first time they had tea, she didn't tell the Chief of Berk what he was probably desperate to know. And when they met up again one week later, she didn't tell him either. She just couldn't find the words. How do you tell a father his son is…? What even was he, exactly?

Astrid didn't know. When she'd started hunting the Phantom, she'd considered him a monster. Then, the more they talked, the more they interacted, the more she'd started to view him as a man. Up to the point that she kissed him, and felt like she could do that again. But after his reaction to her pulling off his helmet, nothing but fury and rage coated in a thick layer of sarcasm, she wasn't so sure anymore. He was likely a monster after all.

At first, she'd just been extremely angry at him for the way he'd reacted. No matter how he felt about what she had done – even if she had been 100% in the wrong, which she did not believe she was – he had no right to make her balance on the edge of death like that. He was despicable, an abomination, a demon.

When she was able to take more distance from it, her emotions turned into a mixture of anger and frustration. Things had been going well. She felt like they were starting to understand each other, like he had slowly been letting her in. And he had thrown all of it away.

The third week she had tea with Stoick, she finally managed to get something regarding Hiccup across her lips. Although she didn't know why she asked that particular question. "Do you still miss him?"

"Hm?" Stoick looked at her, surprised as he had been in the middle of a story about how he and Gobber went camping in the middle of winter when they were young.

"Do you still miss Hiccup?" she stammered. Gods, if it already gave her this much trouble to get a simple question across her lips, how was she supposed to tell him about what had actually happened to Hiccup?

The chief's face turned sad the moment his son's name crossed her lips. His shoulders slightly slumped, the weight of the world seemingly on his shoulders. "Not a day goes by that I don't miss him," he answered.

She nodded in understanding. Of course he still missed his son. It'd been a stupid question in the first place.

"Especially seeing you teens all grown up," Stoick continued. "Makes me wonder how he would've turned as an adult."

She thought back to Hiccup's posture; tall and slender, but strong nevertheless. "I'm sure he would've turned out fine," she mumbled.

"If only we could've seen it," Stoick replied softly. The tone of his voice broke her heart. She studied the streaks of grey in the chief's beard, the amount of stress and hurt the man had endured in the past years. What would the truth about Hiccup do to him? Could she really rip out Stoick's heart and completely obliterate it? Especially considering the things Hiccup had said, the way he seemed to feel towards his father…

How would it benefit them in the fight against the Phantom to know his identity? Hiccup clearly did not have the intention to sit down and talk things out. If he had, he would've done so by now. Wouldn't knowing their enemy was Hiccup only make the things that had to be done significantly harder? Unless of course, he had shown a weakness they could exploit.

Setting out to find that weakness, she replayed the past few months in her head over and over again. From the first moment Hiccup had spoken to her as the Phantom, he had had her in his hold. He'd taunted and teased her, made fun of how she'd been powerless to track him down. Wicked, uncatchable. Similar to how Berk had thought he was. He had caused her to break her shoulder. Which was, looking back, the only time he had  _really_ physically hurt her. Rather than mentally.

Things had changed from the moment she'd agreed to meet his dragons however. He'd mocked her consistently, teasing her with her fears and there had been a playfulness behind his words, a sense of honesty that hadn't been there before. Or at least, that's what she'd thought.

And the more she'd started to believe him with regard to dragons, the closer she'd grown to Stormfly, the closer she'd grown to him. To the Phantom, that was.  _The Phantom's a persona. This guy? You don't know him at all_. Until Hiccup had momentarily ruined everything by blowing up their food provisions.

She still remembered how furious she'd been. He'd played it off as an accident, but he'd later taken responsibility for it nevertheless. It had been a despicable act that would've caused the deaths of so many people of Berk if she hadn't told him off for it. And even despite that, she hadn't been able to let him go. On the contrary, they'd made up, their relationship better than it had been before. Up to the point that she'd made out with him.

She couldn't get over how stupid she'd been. Clearly, he'd shown his true face earlier as well, just like he had when he threw her down. And she'd been blind to it, pulled back in by how good she felt talking to him.

It was utterly confusing to her. She wondered what exactly she had been blind to. Because from the moment they'd made up, every word he'd said to her, every thing he'd done… It'd given her the impression that he cared for her, in his own way. That's why she kept coming back, why she had trusted him on so many untrustworthy occasions. Especially when he'd taken her to his home, showed her how he lived, his dragons, and  _his drawings_. If she hadn't known better, she would've thought he had a crush on her.

And all of that had shattered in such a short amount of time. How could she still believe he cared for her after he'd done the things he'd done? After he nearly killed her? In the end, she'd ended up with nothing serious apart from a few bruises on her wrists. He'd mainly scared her to death.  _Fear is a very powerful tool. It's a means-to-an-end more than anything else_. That's what he'd told her months ago. She didn't know what to do with that.

She replayed the fight they'd had on the lake's shore over and over. She had registered what he had said to her, but in her own anger and need to fight back, she hadn't truly listened to him. And the more she went back to it, the more she started to wonder. If she believed he was a monster, who was responsible for creating it?

There had always been a sense of distraught, of loneliness in his voice whenever Hiccup had told her something about himself, as the Phantom. Why he'd returned to the Archipelago, why he was fighting for the dragons. And she hadn't seen it at the time, but the more she thought about the fight they'd had, the more she recognized the darkness and the hurt behind every word he'd said.

_Berk has finally been released of its greatest burden. You looked for who you wanted me to be. No one ever looked for me. You looked for me because you felt guilty, not because you cared for me. Of course you'd go as far as calling a 15-year old boy a coward for leaving the village that almost physically spat on him. I don't want to deal with people who think they know who I am. I thought you were different. I was wrong._

He'd said he'd lashed out at her because she'd betrayed him. She still thought he'd overreacted. Because he had. No matter how wronged he felt by her actions, what he'd done was so far from justified. But she couldn't help but wonder if maybe, he felt betrayed by Berk too…

"Hey, Fishlegs?" she asked. They were wandering around Berk, Fishlegs intently studying some of the mosses that only grew in and around the village during winter. She'd been spending time with him to take her mind off things. But Fishlegs could ramble about things the same way Hiccup could ramble about dragons. So it didn't really work. She hadn't seen Hiccup for nearly a month at this point. And she hadn't looked for him either.

"Yeah?" Fishlegs reacted.

"Do you think that maybe, we were too hard on Hiccup, back then?" The more she thought about what might've driven Hiccup to become who he was, the more she'd gone back to the things she'd seen for herself. And eventually, she'd realised his childhood had probably not been an easy one.

"What do you mean? The whole village adored him, even Snotlout thought he was kind of cool," Fishlegs answered.

"When he got good in dragon training, yeah. Before that, Snot and the twins bullied him relentlessly. And he was always told to just stay out of the way during raids," she wondered.

Fishlegs looked at her, her words sinking in. "I don't know," he finally mumbled. "You and I never did that."

"I know," she agreed. "But we didn't exactly do anything to stop it either."

Fishlegs stayed quiet for a moment. "Why are you thinking about this now?" he finally asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I just wondered if maybe, you know, he hated us for it…"

Before Fishlegs could reply, they were interrupted by yelling, coming from Berk's woods. It sounded like –

"Ruffnut!" she realized, rushing off in the direction of the sound. Fishlegs hurried after her. Ruffnut never yelled like that. She always yelled when she and her brother had pulled a trick, but this was different. She sounded  _scared_.

"What's wrong?" Astrid panted as she saw Ruffnut come out of the forest, carrying something on both of her shoulders. Her heart accelerated. It was a body.

"Tuffnut, he –" Ruffnut tried to explain, sounding out of breath, tears streaking her face. Astrid had never seen her cry. "It was the Phantom, he –"

Snotlout walked up to them right as Ruffnut collapsed to her knees, putting the body she was carrying in the snow in front of her.

Astrid put her hand in front of her mouth to supress her own scream as she looked at what was at her feet. It was Tuffnut. His skin was as pale as ice, his body not moving at all. His eyes were open, but they just stared into nothingness. He wasn't, right? He couldn't?

"Please help him," Ruffnut cried, looking at Fishlegs while Snotlout crouched behind her and put his hands on her trembling shoulders.

Fishlegs knelt down, having studied with Gothi for a bit, and put his fingers in Tuffnut's neck and his head on his chest afterwards. "I don't understand…" he managed. "He's not moving at all, but I think I feel a pulse…"

"So he's not dead?" Ruffnut asked.

"I don't know," Fishlegs only managed. "I've never seen anything like this."

Astrid snapped back into reality as she saw the implications of Fishlegs words. "Ruff," she asked, her voice trembling. "What did you say about the Phantom?"

"He did it," she told her, hate burning in her eyes. "I heard his voice."

That's when Astrid realised that it did not matter. It did not matter in how many ways Hiccup might feel wronged. It didn't excuse his actions. It didn't excuse him doing this. They had to put an end to this. And she was the only one who knew how.

Grabbing her axe from her back, she gripped it tightly in her hands. Getting up, she ordered: "Get him to Gothi." She set her sights on the forest. If Hiccup was as cocky as the Phantom had always been, she'd find him there. And she had to go alone. If she brought anyone else, he'd run. But her alone… he might think he was up for the challenge. She had to take that chance. He hadn't killed her before. And she had to abuse the fact that he might not do so now either.

"Where are you going?" Snotlout asked, still holding Ruffnut's shaking shoulders.

"I am going to kill the Phantom."

Before they could stop her, she shot off, sprinting into the woods. She heard Fishlegs call out to her, but she didn't stop. This had been going on for way too long already. If Hiccup didn't stop on his own, she'd make him stop instead. After all, from a tactical point of view, she'd only been able to find one weakness that stood out above everything else. Which did not make sense. His relationship with her.

* * *

**Why Have You Brought Me Here/All I Ask Of You**

Astrid called him out as she sprinted through the forest. "PHANTOM!"

She knew where to go and as soon as she was sure she was far enough away from Berk, she addressed him personally instead. "HICCUP!" She called for him repeatedly, making sure he heard her. He had to be around.

Soon, she slipped to a halt, making her way down into the cove. She called for him one more time. Then, she waited.

And Hiccup's voice soon followed. "Shouting my name once would have been enough, you know."

She turned around and found him in the same place he'd been watching her from before. Above her, looking down at the cove. He was sitting on Toothless' back, dressed the same way he always was, his helmet covering his face.

"I want to talk to you," she told him.

"We can talk like this," Hiccup stated.

She shook her head. "No, just you and me. It's kind of… personal." She looked at her feet. "I want to apologize."

Hiccup seemed to deliberate for a moment. "Fine," he concluded. He got off of Toothless and gestured something to the Night Fury, who disappeared out of sight. Then, Hiccup made his way down into the cove. Surprisingly agilely, but she figured he'd probably been here more often.

There he was, standing in front of her once again. The Phantom. Hiccup Haddock.

"Please take off your helmet," she asked.

Hiccup promptly responded, dropping the piece of armour in the snow beneath his feet without an inch of hesitation. He looked at her, sternly. His appearance was the same as it had been roughly a month ago, his face unreadable, his scars unchanged.

She'd stowed her axe before she'd gotten to the cove, feigning innocence, and now walked up to him. He eyed her warily, but didn't retreat. "I shouldn't have done what I did back, well… you know when," she spoke, looking him straight in the eye. "It was wrong. But I just wanted to know what you looked like." She bit her lower lip. "So I could kiss you again."

She leaned into him, hoping he would return the gesture. Hiccup did, moving in closer to her and eventually closing his eyes. She smiled and reached for her axe. This was her chance. Then, Hiccup smiled as well. He opened his green eyes, staring right into her blue ones.

What followed was the sound of metal hitting metal. Her axe was only inches away from Hiccup's neck, blocked by a sword. A sword? She hadn't ever seen anything big enough to holster a sword on Hiccup's armour.

Hiccup pushed her away, making her stumble backwards. "Did you really think I'd fall for that?" he teased as he twirled the sword around in his hand.

"No," she bit, gritting her teeth. "But I thought I'd make you feel what it's like to be blatantly lied to for a change."

She charged at him again, but he successfully parried her. "I actually tell the truth most of the time."

Another blocked hit. "Alright, then tell me what you did to Tuffnut!"

Hiccup shook his head, striking back and forcing her to block. "Did you kill him?" she demanded.

She struck him again, but he was quicker than she thought he'd be. "Gods, sometimes I forget how little Berk actually knows," Hiccup scoffed. "On the contrary, I saved his life."

"Oh,  _of course you did_ ," she snapped. "Since you're so high and mighty. And I'm done with that."

Her axe landed against his sword again. "I'm done letting you toy with me."

Again. "I'm done letting you toy with my friends."

And again. "And I'm done letting you toy with Berk!"

She yelled a battle cry, using her anger to put more power behind her swings, but Hiccup defended himself surprisingly well. He was fighting left-handed, which was something she wasn't used to. It threw her off. His sword looked strange as well; it was hollow in the middle.

Parrying and blocking each other's blows constantly, they were fighting for ages, both of them panting as a result. Hiccup eyes pierced hers, but she was giving him the same look back. She was not standing down. Not this time.

The snow filled with both of their agile footsteps, the two of them consistently moving back and forth, Astrid was not sure how much longer she could keep it up. She needed to deliver the final blow, and she needed to do it soon. She wasn't sure of Hiccup's stamina, but she couldn't take the risk that hers would run out before his.

She threw her whole body into it, deciding that she was unlikely to win through fighting Hiccup purely axe to sword. She proceeded to use her legs as well, kicking him and hoping to throw him off balance by landing her foot against his knee or right in his stomach. She kept looking for an opening between blows, sparks flying through the air whenever their two weapons hit, and finally, she found it. She aimed her foot right at Hiccup's stomach, but she'd failed to catch the shimmer in his eyes as she did. He hooked his sword under her boot and moved her leg upwards. It threw her off balance, making her land flat on her back, snow swirling around her as she and her axe landed in it.  _Fuck_.

Hiccup placed his boot on her stomach, making her unable to get up, and aimed the tip of his sword at her throat. From up close, it looked even stranger. She tried to stay as still as possible, as she'd easily pierce her own throat if she moved.

"I told you you'd never beat me in one-on-one combat," Hiccup told her, looking down victoriously. He pulled his sword away slightly, seemingly fumbling with the hilt. Then, it ignited.

She watched in awe, the flames dancing in front of her eyes, the heat coming off the blade warming her chest.  _He had a flaming sword_.

"I call it Inferno," Hiccup informed her as he caught her gape, a triumphant look on his face. He grabbed something from his belt, revealing a dagger and twirling it around in his other hand. "And this is what I stabbed Tuffnut with."

"You stabbed him!?" It didn't look like he'd been stabbed. At all.

"Like I told you, I saved the twins' lives, actually."

She scoffed. "Stabbing someone usually does the opposite."

"I was on Berk doing some dragon-relocating," he told her. "A Whispering Death, to be precise. Nasty things, they dig tunnels everywhere and jump above ground when you least expect it. Not the kind of dragon I'd like to encounter here in spring, especially if it's not trained. But of course the twins were looking for the Phantom in exactly that area of Berk today. So I made them leave."

She didn't buy it. "You could've just told them to leave."

Hiccup pulled up a non-existent eyebrow. "You likely know the twins better than I do. And even I know that if I'd told them to leave, as the Phantom, they would've done exactly the opposite."

"So you  _stabbed_ Tuffnut instead?" she spat, Inferno still closer to her throat than comfortable. Hiccup only had to move it slightly for her skin to burn in the vicinity of its flames. "It didn't exactly look like that. There was no blood on him at all."

Hiccup fumbled with the dagger, studying it with care. "Its tip is infused with Speed Stinger venom. Speed Stingers are dragons that –"

"Dragons that paralyze," she realized. She'd read about them in the Book of Dragons. That's why Tuffnut's body had completely stiffened, despite him still having a pulse. He was alive. And he'd be fine.

Hiccup nodded. "I grabbed Tuffnut when Ruffnut wasn't around for a minute, poked him slightly in his shoulder with this thing, and Ruff's panic did the rest. It will wear off in a few hours at most, and the wound itself will already have healed by then. And in the meantime, I made sure the dragon's gone."

She caught the glimmer in Hiccup's eyes as he studied the dagger in his hand. He seemed to love that thing.

"I don't buy it," she challenged him. "It looks like a normal dagger to me."

"That's the point," Hiccup mused. "Inferno's flashy enough. This thing is more subtle."

"How does it even work?" She needed to keep him talking.

"You'd like to know that, wouldn't you?" Hiccup teased. "I can demonstrate it on you."

"Try me," she told him. "I suppose the thing has a name as well?"

"Indeed it does," Hiccup agreed, crouching and leaning forward to bring the dagger closer to her eyes, moving Inferno only just so slightly. "I usually just refer to it as Stinger, after the dragon its venom comes from." Astrid couldn't help but let a little smile slip. The geeky fool.

As soon as he came close enough, she grabbed his collar and twisted the two of them around, Hiccup easy to bring off balance due to how he was standing. He landed on his back, letting out a slight moan as the air was pushed out of his lungs. Inferno landed in the snow, its flames instantly doused. Stinger was still in his right hand, but she twisted his wrist and took the dagger from him, putting it to his throat instead. She climbed on top of him, straddling his legs between hers and stabilising herself. She had him right where she wanted him. He had nowhere to go. Above them, the sky darkened, storm clouds on their way. How suitable.

"What was that Greek word again for being overly vain and arrogant?" she asked him, teasingly. " _Hubris_ , I believe? Looks like the hubris is all yours. And if you even dare to move, I'll slice your throat."

"It's yours too," Hiccup bit back, nodding behind her just slightly enough for his throat not to hit the dagger's blade. She twisted her neck and spotted Toothless behind her, standing on the edge of the cove's cliff. Ready to strike. "He'll shoot you if you kill me."

"Then we'll both die," she stated. They both knew that she'd be able to kill Hiccup before the blast hit her. "Doesn't seem like too bad of an option. As Berk will finally be released from you."

"Killing me won't solve all of Berk's problems," Hiccup angrily pointed out. "The dragons will still be around, they will still raid you. The queen will live. And you will have killed the only person who has a chance of stopping her."

She hated how there was a chance he was right. "Tell me where the queen is, then," she demanded. "You still haven't killed her, so I'll do it myself."

"You wouldn't be able to find her even if I told you," he bit. "And even if you did, you wouldn't stand a chance. You know the volcano that makes up my island? She'd hardly even fit in there."

She struggled to imagine a dragon  _that_ big. Although she wouldn't put it beyond Hiccup to be lying. But could she take the risk? He was right. She could kill him, but it wouldn't solve all of their problems.

"Then what do you propose I do with you instead?" she asked.

"You could let me go," Hiccup suggested. "And then Toothless will do the same."

It was her turn to laugh with disdain. "Not a chance."

She looked at him, his green eyes looking back at her. He had nowhere to go. And he knew it. She was in control, it was her decision to make. And after months of the Phantom, of Hiccup always being in control, she almost revelled in that feeling. And Hiccup saw that too. His words were cocky, his posture and attitude too. But the longer she looked into his eyes, the more she recognized the emotion he was actually experiencing. Fear.

She smiled at him. Gods, it made sense. All of it did. The more she looked at the terror reigning behind Hiccup's eyes, the more she understood. He was as human as they all were. And he wasn't ready to die. Just like she hadn't been.

"You are going to surrender," she told him. "You and Toothless both. And I am taking you back with me to Berk. There, you will show us how to kill the queen."

"I'd rather die," he bit back.

She pulled up an eyebrow. "You're bluffing."

"It'd have the same effect as letting myself be locked up or executed in Berk," he snapped. "Or are you expecting them to welcome me back with open arms after I pull off my mask?" His gaze became more determined. "Rotting away in a cell means abandoning the dragons. And I will never give them up."

"You're not willing to die though," she challenged him, moving the dagger closer to his throat. "I suppose I could paralyze you with this thing and drag you back to Berk myself."

"If you do, Toothless will blast both of us," he told her. "Or just you, depending on his aim. Are you willing to take that risk?"

She grit her teeth. Why did he have to be so difficult? Then, another idea popped into her head. Something crazy. Something stupid. But she couldn't see another way. "Then just take me with you."

Hiccup blinked at least five times before he managed to mutter a single word, his stern expression completely wiped away. "What?"

"If you're not willing to help us, then I'll help you," she told him. "Whether you like it or not."

"I don't get it."

"Take me back to the island with you. Show me what your life is like. Teach me how to fly. And let me help you kill the queen."

"Are you out of your mind?" the man squirming beneath her asked.

"Maybe. But if killing the queen is the only way to rid Berk of its troubles, I'd like to make that happen. And if you're the only one who knows where and how, I guess that means we're stuck together. Until it's done. Then, and only then," she leaned in closer, but made sure not to make the same mistake he had. "We can both continue living our lives without each other's  _delightful_ presence in it."

"And you'd leave Berk to their fate just like that?" Hiccup prodded, clearly not amused to have his own words being thrown back to him.

"It doesn't matter if I'm on Berk or not. The difference I make in the whole picture is marginal." She'd known that from the moment she'd started looking for the Phantom. "You are our problem. And the queen is a problem for both of us. So the solution seems sensible to me."

"And what would you have Berk think? Your parents, your friends, your  _chief_? That you simply disappeared?" Hiccup scoffed but the look in his eyes told her he didn't feel as confident as he tried to look. "You didn't seem too crazy about me pulling the same thing five years ago."

"I am leaving to save them," she bit. "You left to save your own skin. If the queen doesn't die, Berk eventually will. And I will do anything to stop that from happening."

"Why would you ever voluntarily go with me?" he bit back. "I almost killed you at least two or three times, as far as you're aware. And you don't know what I've been up to whenever you couldn't see me. Why would you ever put yourself in that position again?"

She smiled. "That's exactly why. You  _almost_  killed me. Several times. But you never did, even though it would have been the most logical and tactical thing to do. You couldn't do it. No matter how much you hate Berk and how much you claim to hate me." She shook her head. "I don't know why. Maybe it's because you _care_  for me in your own, wicked way? Or because you just don't have the stomach for it." She pushed Hiccup's dagger a little closer to his throat, making sure she did not draw blood. But only barely. "But you know I do. I've killed more dragons than I can count. I've always been ready to sacrifice myself for Berk's sake. And I'd do it now, if there wasn't an option that could work out better for the both of us." She had never drawn human blood. But as far as she knew, Hiccup did not know that for sure.

"Toothless will tear you to shreds," Hiccup threatened, but his eyes were telling her a different story.

"And I will do the same to you. So tell your dragon to shoot and we'll be done here just like that," she taunted him. The prospect of death didn't scare her. Not anymore. She was done being afraid of Hiccup, of the Phantom, of anyone else. It'd held her back for too long. Hiccup had finally overreached. And she had to use it.

Hiccup stayed silent beneath her. "Thought so," she teased. "You're just too afraid to die."

She pierced his eyes with hers, adrenaline fuelling her words. "And I am not afraid of you. Not anymore. I am not afraid of death, and you never would've killed me in the first place. And that's what it's all about for you, isn't it? Fear."

She ground down on his legs a bit harder, strengthening her point. "It's about this, isn't it? The feeling of being in control? And you're right, it does feel good." Really good, in fact. "You control Berk, they're more afraid of you than they are of the dragons despite you never actually having killed anyone. And yes, I believe you didn't kill Tuffnut either. But the thing is that Berk doesn't know who you are. And you always strike in a way they can't prevent. So they fear you." She laughed to herself. "And you controlled me for such a long time too. With your stories, with your dragons, with the way you consistently left me hanging as I did not know what you would do next. Until I pulled that helmet off your head and found out who you were. That's when you lost control. And you made me fear for my life to get it back."

Hiccup's face clouded. "It's clever, really clever," she continued. Hiccup didn't say a word back, but she could see that she was right in the change in his expression. He looked less confident and more conflicted than he had before. "You threaten and you scare people to death, but you never  _fully_ follow up on it. You said it yourself. The Phantom's just a persona. The madman, the maniac. The monster. I don't know how much of that is the Phantom and how much of that is Hiccup. And I don't care. But if you ask me,  _you_ seem to be just as easily scared as everyone else. And the Phantom just protects you from that."

"So what do you expect me to do?" Hiccup asked, not refuting anything she had just said. "To just take you with me on Toothless and to peacefully fly out of here? We're not exactly on good terms, I'd say."

"That sounds fine to me. We don't need to be friends to be effective," she told him. "All I ask of you, Hiccup, is that you stop lying to me. That you stop deceiving me. That you let go of this ridiculous need you seem to feel to be in control. Because I'm not going to let you do that to me anymore."

"Oh, and –" she added, moving Stinger closer to Hiccup's throat again. "You're going to apologize for  _literally_  throwing me out of your home."

Hiccup looked at her with stern eyes, but after a while he seemed to realize that the battle was lost. "I'm sorry," he grumbled. Around them, snow started to dwindle down from the sky.

"Lousy apology, if you ask me," she told him.

"Are you going to let me go or not?" he asked her. "I'd prefer not to fly through a snowstorm."

"I don't think we're done here though. There's so much I'd like to ask you."

"Such as?"

"Everything that still does not make sense. Why you were even talking to me in the first place, for instance. Why spend all that time on me? Why let me find out who you were, while, judging by your reaction, you did not want me to know after all? Why let me in and then push me away? In the worst way possible." She bit her lower lip. "How much of that was the Phantom, how much of that was an act? And how much of that was  _Hiccup_?"

Hiccup looked at her for a while, seemingly overthinking his answer. The snow around them started to come down at increasing speed. Some of it landed in Hiccup's hair, wetting it and making it stick to his forehead. He didn't seem to enjoy it, but it was not like he had anywhere else to go. "It's complicated," he finally answered.

She frowned. "That's quite a useless response."

"It's a difficult question," he offered her as an explanation.

"Then let me ask you a simpler one. Are you, or are you not, the monster you pretend to be?"

Hiccup closed his eyes, seemingly praying to the gods to smite him. "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" she prodded.

"Because it's not so black and white, Astrid," he told her, his voice low. "I've been back in the Archipelago for over one and a half years now. I never intended to become this, I just wanted to save the dragons. Which turned out to be more complicated and more difficult than I'd expected." He laughed wryly. "And this approach turned out to be effective. But where Hiccup ends and the Phantom starts." She could see he wanted to shake his head, but supressed the reflex when he felt the metal still present at his neck. "I don't know if I can say. Around people, I am hardly ever not… him."

That was the most earnest Hiccup had been to her ever since his face had been revealed. She didn't know what to do with it.  _Man, or monster?_

Picking up on something else he had said instead, she asked: "So all of your travel stories, they were true?"

"Yes," he answered her without hesitance.

"And your feelings about Berk?" She didn't need to tell him which ones she was talking about specifically.

"Those were true as well," Hiccup told her softly.

"You were right. I really don't know you at all," she concluded. "And I don't think I ever did."

"No one did," the person still stuck beneath her told her. There was a sadness in his eyes she couldn't imagine was fake. "Until I met Toothless."

They stayed quiet for a while, the snow slowly freezing her muscles. She didn't know what to ask. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to think. The only thing she could do was keep Hiccup's own dagger at his throat. Afraid the Phantom would disappear otherwise. And she couldn't let Hiccup slip away again.

Hiccup was the first to break the silence. "What do you think I am?"

"I can't say," she told him honestly. "All I can say is that, until I pulled off your helmet, I thought you weren't the worst person in the world. That there was something to what you were fighting for. I somewhat trusted you, even. But you threw that all away. And I don't know if that can be fixed." She looked at the dagger in her hand, still at Hiccup's throat. "Or if I want it to be."

"I know," was all Hiccup said.

"And it doesn't matter. I just need you to help me kill the queen. There doesn't need to be anything between us besides that." She hesitated for a moment. "But you do seem a lot calmer now," she was willing to concede.

"I've had a month to reflect," he admitted. "And I don't feel too comfortable with a blade at my throat."

"Well then, allow me to continue my interrogation," she quipped.

"I'd really rather you let me go," Hiccup remarked.

"How do I know you won't run away? Leave me behind instead of doing what I asked?" The wind was coming up, blowing snow into her face as she spoke, the incoming storm starting to obscure most of the sky.

"Astrid, I  _promise_  I will take you with me and that I will answer any question you ask. But you have to let me go so we don't have to fly through a blizzard."

"What's in it for you?" she asked, suspicious at his sudden cooperation.

"Not getting my throat slit, for starters," Hiccup answered. "And I'm done fighting you. I could do that all I want, but knowing you, it's not going to make a difference. You will insist on making my life difficult, so maybe having you do so on my own turf will provide a nice change of pace."

To her, it seemed like there was a more logical alternative. "Why don't you just avoid me instead?"

"I've been asking myself that for months," he said. "I've wasted quite some time in that damned arena. And I really don't know why."

They looked at each other for a moment, Hiccup's eyes looking into hers. Gods, how she wished he wasn't such an untrustworthy yak testicle. Loki himself was probably very impressed.

Eventually, Hiccup broke the silence. "So are we getting out of here or are you going to let me turn into an icicle?"

Not fully content, but not looking forward to continue their argument in the freezing cold either, she let him go. She could grill him further, but her mind was starting to slow down as the Berk's biting winter cold clung to her skin. And getting answers from him was not as satisfying as she'd expected it to be. What little more she knew now had only given her more questions.

She slowly released Hiccup's neck and got up, clasping both of his weapons to her own belt and getting back her own, making sure to put his dagger in her own dagger's hilt so she wouldn't accidentally paralyze herself. Hiccup got up from the cold floor, stretching his muscles and beckoning Toothless to come down. The dragon seemed happy that the situation was sort-of resolved. She couldn't blame him.

And, to her surprise, Hiccup did not betray her. He allowed her to get on Toothless once again, behind him this time. She wrapped her arms around him, more prepared for take-off than she had been before. And once again, they shot off from the ground and into the sky. She had no idea what she was getting herself into. She did not know if she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. But she couldn't allow Hiccup to run away again. Not this time. This time, she was in control.

* * *

The news reached Stoick the Vast too late. Tuffnut Thorston had been brought in, his body completely frozen from top to bottom. But he had been fine only minutes later, even before they could've made any attempt to heal him, his limbs springing back to life one by one. A Speed Stinger's sting, Gothi suspected, even though the dragon species had not been seen on Berk for years. The twins themselves swore it had been the Phantom, Ruffnut hugging her brother tightly when he awakened.

Accompanying that information however, was the notice that Astrid had run off into the forest, pledging to kill the Phantom herself. And she hadn't returned since. They'd looked for her through the incoming blizzard, but the rapidly falling snow had concealed her footsteps. And even after night had fallen, she had not returned.

Stoick did not want to fear the worst. The Phantom had never killed. And Astrid could not possibly be his first victim.

But on the morning after, he found another note. It was more extensive than it usually was. And it confirmed his darkest thoughts.

_You will curse the day you did not do_

_All that the Phantom asked of you_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued… For those of you wondering when I will next update, I am thinking of continuing to post weekly on Thursday but that might change depending on what my life will look like the coming months. If I have an ETA, I will always post it on Tumblr (aleteia-ff) but I don't really know how to communicate it here unfortunately :(


	16. Entr'Acte - This Is Phantom Island

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 16 is here! Thank you all again for your support and I am so glad to see how much lovely feedback and enthusiastic reactions this fic is getting. It really warms my heart!
> 
> I am also super excited to be moving into this part of the story, in which we'll finally see more of Hiccup instead of the Phantom. As I am very bad at coming up with chapter titles, most chapters from this one onward will be called Entr'Acte (after the The Phantom of the Opera song), together with a (parody on) a song title from the HTTYD score. Unless I manage to come up with something better in the future, that is.
> 
> That said, please enjoy!

The way back to Hiccup's island had gone quite smoothly. Hiccup had navigated them through the incoming snowstorm, getting them out of the clouds and into clearer skies quite quickly. The wind was as cold as ice however, so Astrid still felt completely frozen when they arrived at the volcano, where she welcomed the natural heat and humidity of the place.

It was already dark by the time they arrived in Hiccup's own cave. They had not talked at all on the way there – apart from Hiccup occasionally telling her to hold on as they changed direction – and she wasn't looking forward to sorting out the necessary logistics of their arrangement. How were they even supposed to talk to each other? In a friendly way? With as little words as possible? As enemies? She wanted to be in control, but she hadn't exactly given it much thought as to how she was going to do that.

So they just sat there, still on Toothless' back. She felt incredibly uncomfortable and she could feel Hiccup's body – which she was still holding onto despite that no longer being necessary – tense up as well.

"So what now?" Hiccup eventually asked. He sounded as awkward as they both felt.

"Well, the way I see it, there are two options," she told him, strengthening herself and getting his dagger from her belt and audibly twirling it around in her hand. "Either we do our whole dance from the cove again, or we go about it in a more… civil way."

"Civil sounds fine to me," Hiccup answered. "Cleaning up dragon-blasted human remains isn't my favourite past-time."

"Great start with the civility, Hiccup," she deadpanned.

"Then what do you propose we do next? This is your plan. I'm just here to see when exactly it will backfire," Hiccup quipped.

She rolled her eyes. "You teach me how to fly, we kill the queen, we go our separate ways."

Hiccup scoffed. "That sounds deceptively easy."

"It's only as difficult as you're going to make it," she told him. She could feel Toothless' tail move from left to right, the dragon seemingly getting impatient with two humans arguing on his back.

"I'm not going to teach you how to fly at night though. And you can argue against that all you want, but it's not going to happen," Hiccup stated. "Honestly, I'd rather just go to bed and figure this whole mess out tomorrow."

That didn't sound like such a bad idea. She was tired herself as well. "I could get behind that."

"So where do you want to sleep, then?" Hiccup asked. She could hear the teasing smile that undoubtedly lingered on his lips. "Here?"

She looked around the cave. There still wasn't much going on, but every time her eyes went from Hiccup's "bed" to the cave's edge, she could feel her stomach twist. "What are my alternatives?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Anywhere, really. I don't have any other human guests, so I suppose you get first pick," he quipped. "I wouldn't recommend one of the Gronckle nests though. They snore."

She supressed a slight chuckle and once again looked at her surroundings. She wanted to stay in control, but she was really not looking forward to being in the same room as Hiccup all the time either. Especially since she still did not trust him. She was pretty sure he wouldn't kill her, but how could she know he wouldn't betray her in any other way as she slept? She didn't exactly feel the need to be thrown a few hundred metres downwards again. And if she stayed here, it'd be him and Toothless versus her. Not that she had any real allies here. Except for one dragon, or so she hoped.

"Is Stormfly still here?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Then I'll sleep with her."

Hiccup didn't protest against her decision but simply led them down to the lake's shore after grabbing some furs from his own pile. Stormfly greeted her enthusiastically as she got off of Toothless, as did her hatchlings, who had grown to the size of sheep in the past month.

"I'm afraid I can't get you an actual bed," Hiccup told her as he put the pile of furs down in the Nadder's alcove. "But this'll probably do."

She frowned. Things were going very smoothly. This was too easy.  _Suspiciously_ easy. "Why are you being so cooperative?"

"Locking you up would be more trouble," Hiccup shrugged. "Especially considering I don't have a prison. And, to be honest, I just want to go to bed." He gestured to the cavern around them. "So welcome home, I suppose."

"What do you even call this place?" she wondered. The hot air, combined with a sense of emptiness, despite nothing but dragons as far as the eye could see, gave the island a particular atmosphere. It was kind of spooky.

"I don't really have a name for it," Hiccup told her. "I usually just refer to it as "home"."

"Phantom Island," she decided. It seemed fitting. And she couldn't call it home herself. Berk was her home.

Hiccup scoffed. "Sure, whatever floats your boat." He made his way back to Toothless, agilely mounting the dragon.

"See you tomorrow," she told him, not sure how that would go down.

"Good night, Astrid."

* * *

Astrid hardly slept that night. She had wrapped the furs around her, using one of the smaller ones – rabbit, she figured – as a pillow and was unexpectedly comfortable, so that wasn't the issue. They smelled like a combination of the cold winter air and something… slightly burnt and slightly fishy. Dragons, she supposed.

The volcano itself seemed to be mostly quiet at night, although the dragon cries she did hear ceased to startle her after a while. What kept her up was the thought of Hiccup being able to sneak up on her as soon as she closed her eyes. And the more she thought about it, the happier she became that she'd decided to sleep down here.

That happiness faded the following day. Hiccup had left her alone all night, but the problem with their sleeping arrangement soon reared its ugly head. He completely avoided her the next day too. The snake.

The only attention she got from him that day were two servings of food. Which he just dropped from the sky for her to catch – and she could now say from experience that letting a smoked salmon fall onto the stone floor and splat into a thousand pieces did not really increase the taste.

Of course he had not had any problems with her deciding to sleep somewhere else. It made it easier for him to avoid her. Although she doubted he wouldn't have simply done the same if she had decided to stay up in his cave. All in all, she did feel safer with Stormfly than she ever would with him.

In her solitude, she started to doubt her decision to ask him to take her with him. Had it really been such a good idea after all? Here she was, stuck at the bottom of a volcano with only a flock of dragons to keep her company. She had wanted to be in control, but she was essentially at Hiccup's mercy. She still had his weapons though. Hopefully that gave her an edge.

She wondered what Berk thought of her disappearance. She hadn't even left a note. But if she had, what should she have written? Should she have lied? She could've never gotten off Berk on her own; they no longer had any boats to spare. So any lie she told that did not involve her flying off on a dragon would have been incredibly transparent. She just hoped her parents didn't worry too much. She didn't plan on sticking around long anyways. She just had to do what had to be done.

Then again, no matter how long she picked her brain, she could not find another solution to Berk's problems. Or a better option. Her decision to go with Hiccup had been incredibly impulsive, but she wondered if it had been the wrong one. If she'd stayed on Berk, she would've been miles away from him, unable to do anything, resigned to waiting for Hiccup to make his next move. She was doing the same right now, but least here she had a chance of catching him again. And Hiccup had made it clear that he preferred death over captivity on Berk, so that wouldn't have gone down well either. Mainly because Toothless wouldn't have let it happen.

Hiccup himself seemed to be gone throughout most of the day. Sometimes, she heard him and Toothless fly in and out of the volcano. Occasionally, she spotted him sitting on the edge of his cave, one or both of his legs dangling over it telling her that he was there. She called out to him several times, and although she was sure it was loud enough for him to hear, he never reacted.

She spent that day just playing with Stormfly and her hatchlings while trying to get Hiccup's attention, but when she woke up the next day and Hiccup still refused to reply, she'd had enough. He didn't seem prone to changing his mind anytime soon and she was incredibly fed up with their lack of progress. She figured that if he wasn't coming to her, she had to go to him.

She started by exploring the volcano, wandering through its tunnels and seeing if she could make her way up like that. The dragons always eyed her curiously, but never behaved hostile towards her. At least that was something she could still be sure of. Hiccup was right about dragons.

Finding a route that went up  _and_  was climbable proved to be more difficult than expected however. The volcano's system of caves and tunnels was incredibly intricate and she got completely lost on multiple occasions. The only tunnels that did lead to the caves above her were those dug by Whispering Deaths. But those were way too steep; she tried to climb up through them, but landed painfully on the rock floor beneath her on multiple occasions.

When she made her way back to Stormfly at the end of the day, rubbing the bruises she'd sustained in her attempts to get to Hiccup, she realised she'd been an idiot. Stormfly greeted her enthusiastically, nipping her braid. She was in a cavern full of dragons. Trying to get to someone who rode a dragon. Who was sitting a few hundred metres above her.  _She could just fly up there_. How hard could it be, after all?

Softly stroking Stormfly's scales so she wouldn't get startled, she put her foot on the dragon's upper leg. Stormfly eyed her suspiciously. "Can I get on, girl?" she asked the dragon.

Stormfly reacted by crouching slightly, indicating her approval. Excited, Astrid swung her other leg over the Nadder's body, settling down on her back. A little shiver made its way up along her spine.

She'd sat on Toothless' back before, but this was completely different. There was no saddle beneath her, and the way Stormfly's body was shaped made her have to position herself differently. On the Night Fury, her legs had usually been in front of its wings, around the dragon's shoulders or neck, which were slim enough for her to hold onto. Stormfly's back was shaped differently however. She shifted around for a bit, trying a few different positions, but eventually settled on wrapping her legs around Stormfly's lower belly, just behind the Nadder's wings.

Softly, she stroked Stormfly's neck, taking in the shapes of her scales from a different angle than usual and feeling the dragon breathe beneath her. This didn't seem too bad. She could do this. The question was just how.

She had ridden a yak once on Berk; something the twins had convinced her would be absolutely harmless. Those animals weren't meant for riding – and they had reacted accordingly – but she couldn't imagine flying a dragon was too different. And Stormfly's intelligence wasn't even comparable to that of a yak. It could only be easier.

Taking a deep breath, feeling nervous after all, she asked the dragon: "How about we get into the air?" She nudged Stormfly softly with her heels, and the Nadder spread her wings in response. This was it.

"Okay, so now how to get her off of the ground…" she wondered out loud, but the Nadder seemed to have understood and shot off. Astrid yelped as she was thrown backwards, only barely holding on. Stormfly seemed to be extremely excited to be in the air and flew across the lake, her legs dragging through the water.

"We need to be going up, Stormfly," she told the Nadder, hoping she'd understand. And she did.

They jerked upwards with incredible force, the power in Stormfly's muscles completely taking her by surprise. And it made her lose her grip.  _Fuck_.

She fell, landing into the lake below her with a loud  _splash_. She went down into the water a few meters due to the impact. There, she was able to confirm that the lake wasn't very deep after all as her back eventually hit its floor. Coughing loudly, she made her way back up to the water surface, completely drenched. Luckily, she'd never been a bad swimmer and she made her way to the shore quite quickly.

Pulling herself up, her clothes heavy from the water it'd soaked up, her bangs clinging to her forehead and her braid to her back, she was met by the eyes of a concerned Stormfly. She stroked the Nadder's horns with her wet hands, telling her it was not her fault.

"That might've gone better if you had something to hold on to," a nasal, slightly whiny voice told her from above.

She looked up to find none other than Toothless and Hiccup landing on the shore next to her. They'd been watching.  _Of course_.

"You haven't exactly been helping," she bit. "But I feel honoured to finally be blessed with your presence."

"I'd be a bad host if I let you kill yourself," Hiccup quipped.

"You already are, so don't bother," she snapped. "Blatantly ignoring me wasn't part of our deal."

"I said I'd take you with me," he countered.

"And that you'd answer any question I asked you," she pointed out.

"You decided to stay down here yourself," Hiccup pointed out as he moved the visor of his helmet up, revealing a mischievous grin on his face. "So I figured that I don't have to answer questions if you can't ask them."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm glad to see you've gone back from being menacing to being incredibly irritating. I always  _loved_ that about the Phantom!" She grabbed one of her furs and started to dry her hair. For days she'd been trying to get Hiccup to talk to her, but right now she could not say she was happy to have achieved that. "What are you even here for? Sudden change of heart?"

"I came to get Inferno back, actually," Hiccup said as he dismounted Toothless. The sword was still strapped to her belt. "It doesn't deal well with water."

"And why would I not just throw it into the lake right now?" she taunted him.

"I'll give you your dagger and battle axe back if you don't," Hiccup proposed.

"I thought you were going to smelt those."

Hiccup shrugged. "Didn't get around to it yet. So, deal?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Astrid…" Hiccup nearly pouted.

"I'm not giving you your weapon back. Not until you follow through on your part of the deal."

"What part exactly?"

"Stop avoiding me. Answer my questions. And most of all, stop acting like you're part of the Jorgenson family," she told him.

Hiccup shot her a confused look.

" _Stop being a humongous dick!"_  she hissed.

"You wanted to see what my life was like, Astrid," Hiccup countered. "Well, this is it." He gestured around him. "Hours of solitude and loneliness, not a human around, day after day."

She walked up to him, not afraid to challenge him. "If you feel so lonely, why do you avoid me?"

"I didn't say I mind the loneliness," Hiccup countered. "Toothless and the other dragons are all the company I need."

"Then why did you talk to me in the arena?"

"Because I got bored."

She was now looking at him, face to face. She didn't buy it. "Why are you lying to me?"

"I am not." The look on Hiccup's face was as steeled as the one on her own. It made the lines of his scars stand out even more.

"I don't believe you."

"Then don't," Hiccup bit.

She could feel herself get incredibly frustrated. Why did he have to be so stubborn? "Why are you doing this? You don't want me here, I know that. But the sooner you cooperate, the sooner we kill the queen, the sooner I'll be gone. But of course you only talk to me when you have a blade at your throat." She balled her fists. " _A Gronckle's ass_ would be better company than you."

Hiccup didn't answer, but simply turned around and made his way back to Toothless.

"Don't run away from me, Hiccup," she hissed. "If you're going to keep avoiding me, we'll never kill the queen. And I will be here to torment you for a  _long_ time. Is that what you want?"

Again, Hiccup did not reply, but simply fumbled around with Toothless' saddle.

"Tell me, Hiccup!" she fumed, chasing after him. "Why do you feel the need to act like this? Why can't you just face me like a normal person so we can get this over with!?"

"Because I am ashamed of myself, Astrid!" Hiccup yelled, suddenly turning around and looking at her. His face was distorted, his eyebrows creased. He looked mad.

The answer and the force with which he threw it at her took her aback so much she stumbled backwards a few steps. "What?"

"I know it might be hard to believe, as you and all of Berk are convinced I'm a monster, but I am!" Hiccup shouted, gesturing with his arms. "You were right. The things you said to me in the cove, they were true." He shook his head. "I should never have thrown you off that cliff. It was wrong. No matter how angry I was with you, no matter how betrayed I felt; you didn't deserve that." His expression changed. The hurt was visible in his eyes. "I was out of control. Because I lost control. And I don't know how I can still look at you and talk to you after that. Because I know you'll never forgive me for it. And you shouldn't."

Hiccup was visibly panting and somewhere deep inside, she almost felt sorry for him. But she couldn't.

"Then why did you do it in the first place?" she asked.

Hiccup's eyes dropped to his feet. "Like I said, I lost control, I snapped –"

She shook her head. "Not that. All of it. Why, Hiccup, did you start talking to me? And everything that followed."

"It's complicated," Hiccup told her. "And I'm not proud of most of it."

"I have time."

Hiccup frowned. "Why do you want to know this so badly?"

"Because to say we have a history is an understatement," she hissed. "We spent months in that arena together. Things happened." She bit her lip. "And I want to put it behind me so we can move on. So we can actually work together instead of outright hating each other. This is never going to work otherwise. But I still have so many questions." She shrugged off the whirlwind of emotions that thinking of the past few months brought with it. "And I just need to know what those months were to you."

Hiccup seemed to deliberate for a minute, but finally he sighed. "Fine."

She hadn't expected him to cooperate without protesting again and watched dumbfounded as Hiccup sat down against the cavern's wall, his long legs in front of him. He removed his helmet, putting it down next to him. His auburn hair looked messed up and slightly too long. Toothless wandered off towards some of the other dragons, but stayed close enough, eying the two of them suspiciously.

Biting her lower lip, Astrid sat down to the left of Hiccup, so she could see the good side of his face. His helmet separated them. Hiccup looked at her, but she simply looked back. "Go on," she nudged.

"I don't even know where to start," Hiccup mumbled, frowning.

"You'll figure it out," she told him, not intending to be consoling. "The Phantom was always good at telling stories." Not that she knew for sure they were true. "And don't lie," she added.

Hiccup smiled wryly. "I wouldn't lie about this." He furrowed his brows again, seemingly starting his story. "So, from the moment I came to Berk as the Phantom, I always saw you during raids. I knew I had to keep an eye on you; you always seemed less in-over-your-head than Snotlout, for instance." She felt like chuckling, but supressed it.

"I've been too late to stop you on a few occasions," Hiccup shared. "So yes, I've seen you kill dragons." He looked at her, an expression in his eyes she couldn't quite decipher. "I hated you for it. So when I saw you, sitting in the arena that very first night with a very poorly-conceived plan, I felt victorious. It was my chance to show you I would win."

"But that didn't go as easily as I'd thought it would," Hiccup sighed, pulling up one knee and leaning his head back against the wall behind them. "No matter how many times I thought I'd humiliated you, you kept coming back. Even after I broke your shoulder." His face contracted. "Which I did not intend to happen that way. I never told you I was sorry for that, but I am."

He looked at her almost pleadingly, but she simply gave him a stern look back. She didn't need his apology.

"So, I figured that maybe talking to you would do the trick instead. I mean, I could've just let you alone for Thor knows how long, but I'd gotten…" Hiccup gestured with his hands, seemingly looking for the right word. "Curious, I suppose. I hadn't seen you in nearly five years and after having such a  _huge_ crush on you as a kid I couldn't help but want to confirm how wrong I'd been at the time. So –"

"Wait a minute," she interrupted him. "You had a crush on me?"

He turned to look at her, surprise readable on his face. "You didn't know?"

She shook her head. "No clue."

Hiccup laughed to himself. "I thought it was blatantly obvious. I mean, I spent hours looking out from Gobber's forge, just  _drooling_ at you. I was 15, I'd just hit puberty – not that anyone could see that – and at that point in my life you were basically everything. You coming in to sharpen your axe every now and then was basically the highlight of my month."

"Which explains why Gobber always insisted you did it," she realized. Thinking back to it, it  _had_ been obvious. But she'd never given a single thought to Hiccup at the time. Or to boys in general.

"Yeah, he knew and I am pretty sure my dad knew as well," Hiccup nodded. "You can imagine my delight when that same axe nearly chopped off my head the other day."

"You had it coming," she grumbled.

Hiccup shook his head, not letting her know if he agreed or not. "But anyways, you were still looking for the Phantom, so you kept coming back. And every time we talked, I started to enjoy the game more and more. I became addicted to how curious you were, how eager you were to listen to me ramble about dragons or where I'd travelled to. I mean, I'd hardly ever shared those stories with another person. And watching you bond with Stormfly was very endearing," he teased. "Plus, getting you out of the equation during raids made my work significantly easier."

"How did you do it?" she interrupted him.

"How did I do what?"

"Talk to me in the arena. I never saw you."

Hiccup smiled. "Trickery and diversion, mostly. Pointing your attention to where I wasn't. And I picked up a fascination for architecture during my travels. The arena was a fun project to work on in that sense."

"I now know absolutely nothing more than I did before I asked that question," she grumbled. "Care to be more specific?"

"I'd really have to show you, it's hard to explain in words. I just made some… modifications. To the arena and myself." Hiccup frowned. "But it doesn't matter for the story. So will you let me move on with that instead?"

"Fine," she grumbled. She'd make sure to remind him of this topic. He wasn't getting away this easily.

Hiccup furrowed his brows. "So, eventually you told me  _I was right_. After I'd done what has probably been the worst thing I've done to Berk. Which I'd completely glossed over; after all, it'd simply been a Zippleback I'd reached too late, and when I tried to calm it down a single spark from its beak had been enough to set the whole storage house ablaze." He looked straight ahead, seemingly unwilling to meet her eyes. "I mean, I've been close to starving one winter myself. And in spite of that, I did not stop to think about what I'd caused, too blinded by my spite. But you made me realize what I'd been responsible for. That if I did not want to kill, I had to somehow make it right." He shook his head. "And during that week, in which I did not see you at all, I realized I did not just enjoy the game anymore. I'd come to appreciate your company. And by some miracle you'd come to see I was right about dragons. I just…" Hiccup bit his lower lip. "I just had to make it up to you, somehow."

He looked at her with his big green eyes. There was a sense of earnestness in them. Maybe he was actually telling her the truth. "And then you came  _back_. Back to the arena, and the only reason you could have done that was to see me." He laughed, closing his eyes. "I couldn't believe my luck. And after that, I just couldn't let go anymore."

"The other things I could do with my time no longer mattered, I just wanted to be on Berk, the island I'd dreaded for five years, or maybe even longer. I'd spun this web around us, I'd created this place, separated from the rest of the world, which I just felt so incredibly comfortable in," Hiccup mumbled as he stared off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought. "You  _helped_ me, I felt like you had started to  _trust_ me. Two things I thought I did not deserve, nor would ever get. And I couldn't break free from that feeling."

"And after –" He looked at her and her heart caught in her throat. He wasn't going to mention  _that_ night, was he? She couldn't talk about it. It was something she'd decided to take with her to Valhalla. "After I'd somehow managed to tear myself away from you to prepare for winter" – Thank Thor – "I still couldn't completely stop thinking about it. I wanted to tell you more about myself, and at the same time I didn't." Hiccup laughed wryly. "But I was afraid you'd forget about me. So I made you that Night Fury statuette." The look in his eyes turned from forlorn to outright sad. "And that's when it all started to fall apart."

"What do you mean?" she frowned. "I thought you'd meant for me to figure out who you were. Or to give me a hint in that direction, at least."

"If only," Hiccup remarked bitterly. "It was hubris. I overreached." He looked straight at her as he spoke. "I did not know you had seen Toothless the day I left."

She looked at him in shock as she realized the implications of his words. He'd never meant for her to find out. Not like this. It hadn't been one of his plays. It had been a mistake.

"So when I found you in the cove that day, I panicked," he told her, a pained look on his face. "I had no idea what you were doing there, why you were crying over  _Hiccup_." He sighed. "But I knew it couldn't be a coincidence. I wanted to run, but I just couldn't. I wanted to hold on."

"I tried to change your mind, but I wasn't very convincing. Maybe because part of me had started to want to tell you after all." He closed his eyes again. "Because I knew you'd never stick around unless I told you who I was at one point or another. You'd gotten too curious about my identity to stay satisfied. And when I realised you'd figured it out yourself, I still couldn't walk away. So I tried whatever I could think of to get you back under the Phantom's spell."

"I took you to fly, like you'd told me you wanted to." He gestured to the room around them. "I brought you  _here_. Hoping it'd somehow be enough to keep you occupied, intrigued. That we could move on to I don't know where without me having to show myself." His face was nothing but sadness at this point. "I wanted to show you my face, I really did. And at the same time I didn't. So I kept dodging, hoping the Phantom would be enough. Which was foolish to begin with. But I wasn't ready to be Hiccup Haddock. The runt of Berk. And all the complications that identity brings with it."

She didn't interrupt him but kept listening, knowing the hardest words still had to be said.

"And when you made the decision of revealing my identity for me, when I lost control over that choice… I lost control of myself." Hiccup didn't look at her. "I desperately needed to get it back somehow, to deal with the anger, the confusion, the  _emotions_  of the months before. And I took it out on you. Because I was angry with myself for getting too comfortable. And careless. I should've expected you to want to know who I was. It was my own fault."

As she listened to how pained his voice sounded as he confessed his actions to her, she realized that maybe, he had cared for her. In his own, wicked way. But she couldn't do anything with that information. She could no longer care for him. And he'd caused that himself.

"You told me I'd betrayed your trust," she mumbled, feeling she had to justify her own actions as well. "But I just didn't think I could ever  _really_ trust you, unless I knew who you were. And I was afraid you'd never show me."

"I never really gave you my trust in the first place," Hiccup responded. "If I had, you wouldn't have had to find out like that."

"And I don't know if I can ever give you mine again," she told him honestly, looking out across the lake in front of them. "If I can forgive." She paused for a second. "Or forget."

"I don't expect you to," Hiccup simply said. "Nor do I think you should."

"Why did you face me in the cove, Hiccup?" she asked. "I have a hard time believing you didn't know I came there to take a shot at killing you." She laughed wryly. "Not exactly the best plan, but I was just so… angry and couldn't just do nothing knowing you were on Berk."

Hiccup closed his eyes, his face contracting. "I felt like maybe you deserved that shot. That I'd be best off being the enemy you wanted me to be."

She sighed. He couldn't just decide that for her. "That doesn't make sense. I don't intend to be your enemy if I don't need to be, Hiccup," she told him. After all, it just made things more complicated. "You are the one who makes me that."

Hiccup looked at her again after avoiding her gaze for ages. "Are you really here to help me kill the queen?"

"Yes," she told him. She started to unwrap Inferno from her belt. "I'm not here to kill you. Just the queen. And I'm not here for anything else." And she really meant nothing else.

She twirled Inferno around, studying the blade before placing it in Hiccup's open palm. "I'm keeping the dagger. But you can have this back." She watched as Hiccup closed his hand around its hilt. "I still don't think you're capable of killing me. And it's unhandy to carry around anyways."

Hiccup waved Inferno around, lighting it. She didn't flinch. After he seemed to be content with its functioning, he changed the way he held it. And the blade promptly retracted into its hilt.  _Hiccup had a retractable flaming sword_. She supposed that explained the lack of a proper holster on his armour.

Shaking that off, she got back up to her feet. Not that she had anything else to do, but she needed to get away from Hiccup before they got too friendly. She couldn't allow herself to slip into the same kind of trap she'd fallen in with the Phantom. Not again. And she couldn't give Hiccup any story back either. She had nothing left to give. Besides, it'd only make things more complicated. And it seemed like Hiccup had enough complications in his life already.

"I'm going to bed," she decided. It was already quite late after all. "We can continue figuring this out tomorrow. But I am not your enemy, Hiccup," she told him as he looked up at her, the look in his eyes questioning. "You are the one who keeps making me that. The only  _real_  enemies you seem to have around here, are whatever demons you have inside of you."

* * *

They didn't talk to each other again the day afterwards. Even better, Astrid  _did not see_ Hiccup again that day either. She thought they had made progress after actually having a human conversation, even though she'd cut it off quite abruptly. But it didn't seem like it. She had woken up to an extra-large serving of food – enough to keep her going for several days – and no sign of Hiccup whatsoever. Not even a long, skinny leg dangling over his cave's edge.

She spent the day restless, but tried not to think too much of it. She mostly thought about the things Hiccup had said. It was arguably the first  _real_ talk they'd had since she'd seen Hiccup's face. And – assuming he told her the truth – it gave her a lot of insight into what had happened the months before.

He hadn't said it with those exact words, but she now saw that she had not just cared for him. It had very likely been mutual. Thinking back to the look on his face when he told her the story, she couldn't imagine he had been lying. He had been as addicted to her as she had been to him. Maybe that also played into him agreeing to bring her here… But she didn't know what to do with all that. Whenever Hiccup talked, he had this sense of inner conflict about him, as if not a word he said came out without some kind of weight attached to it. She couldn't deal with that. Not in addition to all of this. She supposed she could be civil towards him, but that'd be it. She still wasn't convinced he didn't belong on Berk's list of villains.

After she woke up the next day and did not find a single sign of another human being once again, she got furious. If he really had cared for her – even though anything akin to thoughtfulness had gone out the window when he threw her out of one – he at least owed her the decency of talking to her. She thought they were finally on slightly better footing. Not that it was difficult for them to achieve that. Even going from nearly killing each other to not doing so was a giant leap forward. But now she had no choice but to chase after him again, with no idea where to start. Her ride on Stormfly hadn't exactly gone well, and she couldn't threaten him with ruining Inferno anymore. She cursed at herself. Had she been played again? Had he been lying after all? Had he told her a sob story just to soften her up? She should've forced him to do something, anything after their talk. But she'd gotten careless. And she'd let him slip away.

Around midday, she finally heard the high-pitched sound of a flying Night Fury echo through the volcano. And, sure enough, Hiccup and Toothless soon landed in front of her. Hiccup moved his visor up, revealing a triumphant smile. She wanted to wipe it right off his face.

"Where have you been!?" she blazed, grabbing her axe and approaching him. "I thought we were going to stop ignoring each other!?"

Hiccup's smile disappeared instantly and he threw his hands into the air defensively as she approached him. "Calm down, Astrid, I just went to get you something."

"And what might that be?" she hissed, still not convinced.

Hiccup pointed at Toothless' back. Something was draped over it. "A saddle."

A saddle? She'd been just fine sitting behind or in front of Hiccup. Besides, this thing looked too big for the Night Fury.

"For Stormfly," Hiccup added as he got off of Toothless and picked the saddle off the Night Fury's back.

"Why?" she asked, frowning as she did not understand where his sudden act of kindness came from.

Hiccup took a deep breath. "You were right. I don't have to act like the earthly embodiment of Loki  _all the time_. Although, admittedly, I did need a few days to realize that." He smiled. "But after our talk two nights ago, I figured that being your enemy is indeed more troublesome than just accepting that you're here and that you won't leave unless I drag you back to Berk myself." He sighed and slightly shook his head. "But, having someone with me in this might not be the worst thing imaginable. Even though we see nowhere near eye to eye on Berk, or on anything else, we do have a common enemy." He held the saddle out with both hands in front of him, as if he was offering it to her. "So please allow me to  _actually_ make up for my shitty behaviour this time by doing what you asked me to do before winter came around. And let me teach you how to fly."

"You could have left a note," she grumbled, not willing to let him off the hook so easily. His little speech had been… touching, but she couldn't get lenient.

She walked up to him, intending to be critical, and now that she could study the saddle better, it did seem to be a better fit for a Nadder than for a Night Fury indeed. It was made out of a brown sort of leather, with some blue and gold accents. It looked like it'd fit Stormfly perfectly. She dragged her fingers over its materials. It felt comfortable too, and easy to hold on to. "Did you make this?" she asked.

"Yeah," Hiccup answered. He chuckled. "Although I may have gotten a bit carried away with the colouring. Been a long time since I could get creative with that. Given that Toothless' is all black for obvious reasons."

"Didn't you have to take Stormfly's measurements first?" she wondered.

Hiccup pulled up his non-existent eyebrow. "Astrid, do you really think I have not thoroughly measured nearly every dragon on this island at one point or another?"

"Point taken," she conceded. "It looks good," she admitted after studying the gift for a few more seconds.

A lopsided smile appeared on Hiccup's face, lighting up his scars. He reached out towards her with one of his gloved hands. "So, do you accept my peace offering?" he quipped.

She looked at him, her blue eyes getting caught in his green orbs. They were kind, with a hint of playfulness. They made her decide there and then that his words from two nights before had been true after all. Or something close to it. She didn't trust him. But she could believe him.

It was time to put the things that'd happened behind them as best as they could, to start working towards their common goal. Killing the queen. And if Hiccup was willing to offer her this, no matter what his true intentions were, it was time for her to put aside her pride, and to accept it.

She gave Hiccup a small smile back as she grabbed his hand, her grip firm. "Peace."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always; to be continued! I will be able to stick to my normal schedule with 99% certainty, meaning that there'll be a new Sneak Preview up on my Tumblr (aleteia-ff) on Tuesday and that Chapter 17 (which shall be named Entr'Acte – Test Drive) will be up on Thursday!


	17. Entr'Acte - Test Drive

The four of them were standing on a ledge at the bottom of the volcano. Toothless had flown them there, with Stormfly following suit. The saddle fit the Nadder perfectly – much to Hiccup's delight – and Astrid was now sitting on top of it. With no idea what to do next.

It did feel more comfortable than sitting on Stormfly's bare back, but she still didn't feel completely secure. Out in front of them was the Archipelago's ocean; it was calm, today's sun reflected in it. The weather was absolutely stunning, but that didn't make her any less scared. The sea on this side of the island was littered with sea stacks, some closer together than others. And she didn't want to hit any of them.

"So, what now?" she asked.

Hiccup was looking out across the ocean, sitting comfortably on Toothless' back with his arms crossed. "Just go," he gestured.

"But  _how_?"

"I don't know," Hiccup shrugged.

" _You don't know_!?" she uttered, the accompanying gestures almost making her slide off Stormfly. "You've been flying Toothless for over five years!"

"Yeah, I know how to fly Toothless, but I have absolutely no clue how to fly Stormfly," Hiccup told her with a grin on his face.

She screamed in frustration, balling her fists and waving them in his general direction. "Why do you have to make everything so difficult!?"

Hiccup laughed, shaking his head. "It's all I can really say though, Astrid. I had no idea how to do it before I tried, and I can't know for sure that the way I do it is is the right one." He gestured to Toothless' tail, making its left fin change position. "Toothless and I communicate through there; we anticipate and react to each other. He knows me and I know him." He smiled, scratching the Night Fury's chin, who tried to reach Hiccup with his long tongue in response.

"There's no right or wrong, Astrid," he concluded after giving Toothless some love. He opened both of his arms, spreading them towards the ocean. "You just have to do it."

She bit her lower lip. "I don't want to fall."

"Stay low then, so that if you do I can either catch you or fish you out of the ocean," was all Hiccup had to offer in response. "Or, you know, just trust Stormfly not to drop you." Not entirely reassuring, but the message was clear. She just had to get it over with.

"Okay, Stormfly, let's do this," she told the Nadder. The dragon gawked and scratched the ground beneath her claws in response. Stormfly was ready. Now it was her turn.

She took a deep breath, putting her hands on the front of the saddle. She reluctantly admitted to herself once more that Hiccup had done a good job making the thing in such a short amount of time.

She looked straight ahead, at the blue sea littered with sea stacks in front of her. There would never be a better time for this than now. She had always been brave. Brave enough to defend her village from when she was first able to pick up an axe. Brave enough to face the Phantom. Brave enough to pull an arrowhead out of a raging Monstrous Nightmare's tail. Brave enough to befriend a dragon. And now brave enough to fly one.

She nudged Stormfly with both of her heels. The dragon instantly recognized the gesture from two days ago and spread her wings. Then, with three strong beats of her wings, they shot off into the sky.

It was as overwhelming as it had been on their first try, but with a lot more space – both around them and insider her head – she didn't feel as stressed. The cold winter air started to mess up her hair, blowing through her bangs and sending shivers along her skin. But in a good way.

Stormfly continued to climb higher, Phantom Island disappearing from beneath them and the ocean opening up. "Can we go down, girl?" she asked.

The Nadder complied instantly, sending them into a dive towards the water surface. Her stomach was pushed all the way up to her lungs as they dove, a feeling of weightlessness taking over her body. It set her on edge, adrenaline pumping through her veins until they levelled out just above the sea. Looking down into it, she could see the reflection of Stormfly's wings, lighting up in the winter sun. There was a sense of beauty in it, but she had no time to relax as her eyes focused on what was ahead of her.

They were rapidly approaching a series of sea stacks, positioned particularly closely together. Her stomach started to act up, filling itself with nervousness. "Little to the left, Stormfly," she told the Nadder, nudging her with her right heel.

The closer the sea stacks came however, the less sure she became that they'd fit between them. How wide was Stormfly's wingspan? Should they twist sideways, or would this be fine?

Her brain unable to figure out the best way to go about it, panic took a hold of her as she watched one of the sea stacks become unavoidably close. "Up, Stormfly, up!"

Stormfly obliged, but it had been too late; unable to turn sharply enough, the Nadder's claws got caught in the stone, making her halt suddenly. Astrid, not having anticipated the impact, was flung into the air. Almost instantly, two black claws closed around her waist, pulling her up and putting her down on top of the sea stack with ease.

Hiccup and Toothless landed next to her and Stormfly made her way up as well, looking slightly bewildered. Hiccup moved over to her, softly stroking the Nadder's horn. Astrid could see Stormfly's pupils dilate almost instantly. He surely had a way with the beasts.

"Ready to go when you are," he said as he turned towards her, only his eyes visible.

"I don't think so," she told him, trying to shake the adrenaline from her body. "What was I supposed to do there?"

Hiccup moved his visor up. "Nothing," he deadpanned.

"What do you mean,  _nothing_?"

"Stormfly can fly on her own just fine, so you don't need to do anything really," Hiccup shrugged.

" _Of course_ it's that easy," she groaned, walking away from Stormfly and kicking the ground with one of her boots. "For you maybe." She wasn't used to failing at things.

"It really is," Hiccup told her, moving his long legs and getting off Toothless. "You're just overthinking it. You need to relax." He walked up to her, putting an exaggerated frown on his face and deforming his voice, making it sound smaller. "When you're flying, you look like this."

"At least I have two eyebrows to do that with," she bit.

Hiccup's face cleared up instantly, a wide smile revealing the gap between his teeth. "Wow, Astrid, now  _that_ was a low blow."

She didn't reply but just squinted her eyes at him.

"But it really is that easy, Astrid. You just have to trust her," he continued on a more serious note.

"Well I'm sorry I don't see how easy it is yet," she hissed. "I'm sure it's always been a piece of cake for you."

Hiccup scoffed. "Oh gods, I wish." She looked at him in surprise. He seemed like such a natural. "My first real flight on Toothless was nothing short of disaster."

She pulled up an eyebrow, not sure if he was just making that up or not. As Hiccup caught the look on her face, he simply rolled his eyes and sat down. "Fine, if all you're going to do is sulk and stand there, I'm just going to entertain myself by telling the story. Feel free to take a seat because as you know, my stories can take some time."

He beckoned Toothless over while taking off his helmet, taking the dragon's tail in his hands instead. Without her agreement, he started to talk. Gods, he really did love telling stories. "I had it all figured out, you know. Toothless and I had tested his tail while being bound to trees, on a short trip through the cove, all of those necessary precautions. I'd made countless of drawings of how it worked, studied it from sunrise to sunset. I knew how it worked. But, nevertheless, I had made this cheat sheet with all the details and different positions of Toothless' tail on it. All that was left was for Toothless and I to actually take to the skies."

Hiccup paused for a moment, looking at her to see if he had her attention. Reluctantly, she rolled her eyes and sat down next to him, feeling like, indeed, this could take a while. Not that she minded the break from being scared to death. Perhaps hearing Hiccup's own experiences would calm her down.

"So, we did. It was the day my dad and the others returned from their search for the nest, actually," Hiccup reminisced, looking out across the ocean and absentmindedly scratching Toothless in a spot the dragon seemed to like. He smiled to himself. "Not that I knew, because I was in the forest, in my own world as always. The skies were clear, the weather was as stunning as it is today, just less cold. So there was no reason not to go. So we went."

The smile on Hiccup's face widened. "I was incredibly nervous, but as soon as we got into the air I felt absolutely amazing, as if this was what I was supposed to have been doing from the moment I was born. It was exhilarating." He flattened one of his gloved hands, moving it in front of him. "We flew around the far side of Berk, making sure no one would see us. I had made this harness that kept me attached to Toothless and my cheat sheet was clipped under the front of the saddle. You'd think nothing could go wrong, and at that point so did I."

Hiccup moved his hand downwards, indicating a diving motion. "We went down towards the water surface, and gods, Astrid, the feeling of that dive…" She didn't think Hiccup could smile even wider, but he did. The two sides of his face weren't exactly symmetric, the scarred side not stretching as widely. Still, she hadn't ever seen Hiccup as delighted, nor had heard the Phantom speak this freely. "I thought I was in Valhalla. The wind in my hair, that wonderful feeling you get in your stomach. I had never felt so good, ever."

She wanted to make a snippy comment about how he was supposed to tell her about how it  _didn't_ go well, but the sheer sense of wonder all over Hiccup's face made her shut up. She had never experienced him like this. It was intriguing.

"We were soaring just above the ocean's surface, through an arch and into the maze you find just off the coast of Berk." He looked at her and she gave him a slight nod, indicating she knew the place he was talking about. It was hard to imagine 15-year old Hiccup flying around on a dragon there, so close to her reality. While he had been in a completely different one. "And then we bumped into a few sea stacks, due to some below average piloting on my side." Hiccup gave Toothless a playful poke and the Night Fury warbled his agreement.

"So I sent us up instead, climbing higher and higher until we were far above Berk's highest mountain, Toothless finally able to truly spread his wings again. And I just enjoyed the feeling of being somewhere no one on Berk had been before." As Hiccup mirrored that vertical movement with his left hand, his smile turned into a grimace. "But I got distracted, and my cheat sheet got caught in the wind. In my attempt to catch it, I told Toothless to stop. He did, and I was thrown up as a result. It made my harness come loose and, even though I'd caught the piece of paper, Toothless and I plummeted out of the sky."

Hiccup laughed wryly. "By now, I do that voluntarily, but this was the closest to death I'd probably been up until then – and that's saying a lot, given how disaster and I usually went hand in hand on Berk," he quipped. "I frantically tried to get back on Toothless, so we'd both make it out alive. And by some miracle, I managed."

"Still, we were going down at such a high speed that no matter how hard Toothless tried, we were heading straight towards a bunch of sea stacks and were about to slam right into them at an incredibly high speed. I panicked, I didn't know what to do, I tried to read my cheat sheet hoping it would help, but the wind and the split-second decision Toothless and I had to make, together, made it impossible. My only option was to just…  _let it go_." Hiccup waved with one of his hands, indicating something getting lost in the wind.

"And as soon as I did, we shot into the maze, dodging obstacle after obstacle. There were some near-misses, I admit, but in the end we got out unscathed. And that moment changed everything." Hiccup pulled one of his legs towards him, leaning on it as he looked at her. "I had been fairly sure about what Toothless and I had been doing up until then, but after that I was completely convinced. We didn't come out of that alive because of my cheat sheet; deep down, I knew it all by heart. What got us through that life-threatening situation was the fact that I trusted Toothless, and he trusted me. And that realization changed my life. It changed everything. To this day, I cannot get enough of flying. But that first flight will always be the one most dear to me. It created a bond that will never,  _ever_ be broken."

The look in his eyes was one of utter confidence, but it wasn't arrogant. It was simply certain. "That's my point, Astrid. It's about trust, about the bond between you and the dragon you're riding. If that's there, the rest will come with time. But if it isn't, you can practice all you want, you can bite down on it as hard as you want to; it will never work."

Hiccup looked at Stormfly, who was still patiently waiting. "Dragons are so quick to give us their trust," he spoke softly. "They have some sort of purity in that sense that we humans just don't have, or don't have anymore. It took me a while to  _truly_  trust Toothless as well. But as soon as I did, after that first flight, I could no longer see why I had been hesitant to earlier. To this day, he is the only living thing on this planet I truly, deeply trust."

She watched as Hiccup tenderly hugged the Night Fury, Toothless nuzzling his rider just as fondly. She didn't doubt a single word he had said. Whatever she thought of Hiccup's actions, whatever she thought of the Phantom's… This was real.

"Can you tell me how you and Toothless met?" she asked. "I mean, you introduced me to Stormfly and I still struggled, despite you telling me what to do, so I have problems imagining how you and Toothless first got… acquainted."

A playful, lopsided smile appeared on Hiccup's face. "Sure I can." He pointed to something behind her in the distance. She turned around to look at it. "After you and Stormfly have flown through that sea stack maze."

Her eyes caught sight of Hiccup's target and she swallowed nervously. "Those are  _really_ close together," she responded.

"I know, it's amazing! Toothless and I fly through it at least once a day," Hiccup beamed. "If you don't go fast enough, you can't make some of the turns, and if you go too fast you'll smack right into them."

She turned back to look at him, glaring daggers. He couldn't expect her to suddenly be as good as him and Toothless. She trusted Stormfly – the Nadder had saved her from a Monstrous Nightmare, after all – but she still couldn't see how they'd make it out of there unscathed.

Hiccup's face turned colder. "Look, Astrid, if you want to do this – and if you want to have any shot at killing the queen – you have to get over your fears. And you have to do it now. Because the longer you wait, the harder it will become. So if you're not willing to do it now, then I don't see why I would not take you back to Berk today."

"You can't decide that for me," she told him.

"I can," Hiccup countered. "But I won't, because like I told you earlier today, I am willing to give this a shot. But I need you to listen to me when it comes to these things. Even if you don't trust me. I know you and Stormfly are close. But if you want this to work out, you need to trust her  _with every vein in your body_. You don't have to control her; she knows how to fly and she could easily get through there on her own. You just need to give her the freedom to do so."

Hiccup got up, looking down at her, the gaze in his green eyes piercing. "If you don't manage to trust each other, you will never be able to work together." A voice in the back of her head couldn't help but wonder if the same was true for her and Hiccup. "You already have her trust. Now it's time to give her yours." Hiccup paused for a moment, looking at the horizon instead of at her. "All of yours."

Her eyes went from Hiccup to Stormfly. The Nadder's pupils were dilated as she pruned her scales, the spines that formed a crown on her head lighting up in the sun. Gods, how she loved that dragon. Her hesitation didn't make sense. Throughout this journey, Stormfly had always been there to support her. Why wouldn't she trust her with everything she had?

"Alright," she decided, getting up and patting the dust off her clothes. "Let's do this."

She spotted a slight smirk on Hiccup's face as she got back up on Stormfly, making sure she was sitting comfortably and secure. She didn't look back at him, setting her sights on the sea in front of them instead. She nudged Stormfly with her both of her heels, and without any accompanying voice command, they shot off into the sky.

They were soaring calmly forward, Stormfly levelling out as soon as Astrid managed to relax. The sea was stretched out in front of them, the maze of sea stacks blocking some of the sun's reflections. The beating of Stormfly's wings was strong, confident. Now Astrid just had to trust her to stay that way.

"You see that group of sea stacks ahead of us, girl?" she asked, pointing at their target and leaning forward so her finger was in Stormfly's field of vision. The dragon gawked in response. "I want you to take us through it, to the other side. Can you do that?" She shook her head, correcting herself. "I know you can. So let's go."

She pushed herself down onto the Nadder's body, waiting for Stormfly to take the both of them down towards the water surface. She soon did, the sound of splashing water as a result of Stormfly dragging her legs through it filling her ears. The first group of sea stacks soon came closer, avoiding it no longer an option. She took a deep breath, bracing herself and making sure she was holding on tightly. It was time to truly say goodbye to the dragon-killing ways Berk had taught her. And to fully put her trust into a dragon instead.

She supressed a yelp as they shot in between the first two sea stacks, another, thinner arch rapidly approaching. Stormfly turned sideways, narrowly moving through it. They went up, down, to the left and to the right, twirling and dancing between the rocks at such a high speed that her brain had trouble processing everything.

But they didn't hit a single thing. From time to time, she did hear some pebbles come loose from one of the bigger rocks as one of Stormfly's wings soared past it. But the overwhelming sense of fear she'd felt before faded away as her vision became blurrier due to their increasing speed. Stormfly could do this. There wasn't a single reason for doubt.

What replaced that fear was a sense of utter exhilaration, adrenaline and joy flowing through her and taking over her soul. The wind ruffling her bangs, the way her body moved along with Stormfly's. It was absolutely amazing. And she couldn't get enough of it.

Before she'd realized it, they shot out of the maze, blue ocean opening up in front of them. The wind was there to meet them and she found herself panting in excitement. Slowly taking back control of her muscles, she sat up straight. In a moment of utter victory, she pumped her fists into the air. "Hel yeah!"

She yanked Stormfly's saddle upwards and there was no confusion between them; Stormfly shot up almost vertically, taking them up into the blue skies above them. She had to hold on tighter, but not a nerve in her body felt like she could fall. Because they wouldn't. She was sure of that.

Letting go of the saddle's front and putting her hands around Stormfly's neck instead, they soon levelled out. The Archipelago's sea was far beneath them, its maze of sea stacks seeming like a tiny obstacle in comparison. And it had been. Hiccup had said it before, but she only now saw the truth in his words, which she hadn't been able to comprehend from just flying along with him on Toothless. Things truly looked different from up here.

She spotted Phantom Island below them, the mouth of the volcano clearly visible. It was the first time she'd had a good view of the island in broad daylight. The volcano's walls were a mixture of sandy ledges and vegetation, some parts clearly more fertile than others, all of it untouched by winter due to the heat of the island. At its base, a small but lush forest opened up before a small beach merged the island with the sea. It really didn't look like much. From up here, it looked small. And peaceful.

She smiled widely. The wind was a lot stronger this high up and she thoroughly enjoyed almost being blown away by it. Stormfly's wings were spread out, relaxing in the air as they simply soared through it. She softly stroked the Nadder's neck, hoping to pass on her joy to her. Sitting here, on her back, actually flying, she truly saw how amazing the dragon was. They could take on the whole world together. They could explore it together. They could do anything they wanted. As she looked towards the horizon, she could almost see the world lay itself down at her feet.

Her daydreams were interrupted by the sound of another pair of beating wings, a Night Fury and his rider positioning themselves next to her. She'd almost forgotten they were here too. Toothless calmed down into a glide and Hiccup pulled his visor up, revealing a grin so wide his scars almost disappeared. She gave him a smile back, unable to give him a hard time. And why would she? This was the best moment of her life.

Hiccup mouthed something, but the wind completely blocked out any sound travelling between them and she was unable to decipher what he was trying to say. She pointed at her ears and shook her head, indicating that she couldn't hear him. Hiccup's smile didn't falter and he simply held up one of his gloved thumbs, twisting it up and down. Her smile widened and she let Stormfly's saddle go, giving Hiccup two raised thumbs in response. He extended his smile to the point where he was showing his teeth, seemingly content with her response. He winked at her with his left eye before moving his visor back down, leaning forward and sending him and Toothless into a dive.

She shook her head at his cockiness before leaning forward as well, moving her head closer to Stormfly's ears. "Let's see if we can keep up with them."

She nudged Stormfly with the front of her feet, sending them down into a dive, Hiccup and Toothless already becoming smaller in the distance. She screamed as she felt herself become weightless once more, but this time around it was in excitement. The sense of freedom, of carelessness of being in the air engulfed her soul. Now that she had had a taste of it, she couldn't imagine another day in her life without being in the air. Without Stormfly underneath her. The world was their oyster. And they'd make it their own.

* * *

They flew all afternoon, Astrid unable to let go of this amazing feeling and Stormfly not seeming to tire at all. They made laps around Phantom Island, making sure not to stray too far away from it. They made slight improvements, Astrid starting to use her feet more and more to indicate what she wanted Stormfly to do. It wasn't perfect, but they could get there. And until they did, Stormfly's natural intuition would lead them.

She only occasionally spotted Hiccup and Toothless, who were around but left the two of them alone most of the time. It was only when the sun started to sink towards the horizon, the sky slowly turning orange, and after they'd landed on one of Phantom Island's vegetated ledges that Hiccup spoke to her again.

He got off after she did, swinging his long legs over Toothless' back. He grabbed his helmet as soon as he hit the ground, pulling it off his head. He ruffled his hair with one of his hands and she could spot a few drops of sweat get caught in the wind. His green eyes looked up at her, catching her and revealing a little smile. She turned her gaze back towards Stormfly, helping the Nadder prune her scales. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of thinking she was staring.

"So that was pretty great, huh?" Hiccup quipped. Gods, he sounded arrogant as ever.

"I guess," she murmured.

"Oh come on Astrid, if you're telling me I shouldn't lie, you shouldn't lie either," Hiccup pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She looked at him, conceding. "Valhalla's probably not even close to  _that_."

Hiccup grinned. "Told you."

She rolled her eyes even harder, fearing they'd soon fall out of her head. "You," she pointed at him before he could turn away. "Still owe me a story."

Hiccup scoffed teasingly. "Making me talk about Berk. Way to ruin the mood."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "There is no mood."

He put his hands up defensively. "Alright, alright. But I did bring dinner." He triumphantly pulled two cods out of Toothless' saddle bags.

She pulled up an eyebrow in suspicion. "How did you catch those?"

Hiccup looked at Toothless, the Night Fury's teeth retracting guiltily as soon as he did. "I don't think you really want to know that."

"Oh gods," she shuddered. "Ew."

"Hey, good luck catching any fish the normal way. It takes ages," Hiccup shrugged. "Just don't think about it."

He gathered a few twigs as she spent some more time grooming Stormfly, which Toothless quickly set ablaze. Not much later, she found herself sitting on the ground opposite of Hiccup, holding a skewered cod above the fire and slowly cooking it. It smelled better than she was willing to admit, allowing her to slowly drown out her thoughts about how the fish had gone from being inside a Night Fury's mouth to on her skewer.

"So," she prodded. "Tell me the legend of Hiccup and the Night Fury."

"Ha-ha," Hiccup deadpanned. "I'd hardly call it a legend. It's closer to a series of unfortunate events."

"I'll pass my own judgement on that," she told him. "But you have to let me."

"Alright." Hiccup rolled his eyes, bowing from his sitting position in an exaggerated manner. "Your wish is my command."

She pulled up an eyebrow but Hiccup ignored her, avoiding her gaze and looking towards the sunset instead. "Things on Berk were the same as they always were. It was a raid night, but one like all the others. People were running around, putting out fires and killing dragons where they could. As usual, I was shoved into Gobber's forge, as I was thought to cause more trouble than I could ever relieve." A small smile appeared on Hiccup's lips. "Not that that was my intention, but things just always worked out that way. I couldn't lift a hammer, couldn't swing an axe, really the only thing I was good at was smithing. Pretty good actually. But that was never enough to please Berk, to please my dad. So it wasn't enough for me either." Hiccup took a bite off his cod, continuing with his mouth full: "If I wanted to actually be something more than useless little Hiccup, I needed to kill a dragon. Or at least, that's what I believed. After all, that's all that matters on Berk."

"So I'd made this thing that would launch a bola for me, and that very night I set it up on one of Berk's cliffs. I saw this shadow move in front of the stars, blocking them from view. A Night Fury." Hiccup swallowed, making his story a lot more audible. "And by some touch of luck, or I don't know,  _destiny_ ,I hit it. It came down just off Raven Point, but of course no one believed me. So I went to look for it on my own that morning."

Hiccup's voice went softer. "And after wandering through the forest for quite a while, I found him. Toothless was wrapped up in my bola's ropes, downed and unable to escape. Up until that moment, even I didn't believe I'd actually done it. But I had. I grabbed my dagger, intending to kill him." Hiccup copied the motion with his hands, mimicking a dagger held firmly in them. "Toothless just looked at me, seemingly resigned to his fate. And there I was, dagger raised, with the opportunity to kill the kind of dragon that would make me a hero to Berk for the rest of my life. But I couldn't."

She gaped at him. "You couldn't?"

Hiccup looked at her, his gaze determined. "I wouldn't."

She creased her eyebrows. "Why not? The rest of us would've done it."

Hiccup shrugged. "It just didn't feel right. Toothless looked as frightened as I was." He gazed towards the horizon. "I looked at him, and I saw myself."

She stayed quiet, not knowing what to say. "So, instead of doing the proper Viking thing, I cut him loose," Hiccup continued, a sense of sarcasm in his voice hiding how he actually felt. "Honestly, I was a lost cause from that point onwards. Toothless struck back at me as soon as he was free, pinning me down and roaring at me. But that's all he did. After that, he just flew away." Hiccup smiled wryly. "Or so I thought."

Hiccup ruffled his hair with one of his hands, messing it up even further. "So, back home, I figured that dragon-killing probably wasn't for me after all. And I was ready to tell my dad that. Unfortunately,  _he_  had just made up his mind on the opposite and had decided to put me in dragon training. So I was all like 'No dad, I can't kill dragons'." Hiccup's impression of himself sent his voice to an even greater height than normal. "But of course my dad didn't listen, because he never did, he just shoved an axe into my hands." Hiccup exaggeratingly puffed out his chest. "He was all like  _Son, when you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us, you talk like us, you think like us_." Hiccup shrugged. "So basically, he wanted me to be everything I wasn't. And, given how insecure I already was, how could I still protest after that?"

She pointed at him as she recognized the way Hiccup imitated Stoick. "The Phantom's voice…  _You were impersonating your dad!_ "

Hiccup gave her an awkward smile. "It was the easiest accent for me to do, given how often I've had to listen to my dad talk. It did get tiring, but talking normally would've been a dead giveaway. Too much Hiccup-flair, I suppose."

She shook her head, disguising a small smile. "So, you started dragon training with us, and as far as you knew, Toothless was gone," she summarised.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed. "Dragon training didn't exactly go well, and I just couldn't stop thinking about the Night Fury. So I went to look for it in the forest." Toothless walked over, Hiccup lovingly giving the dragon some attention. "I was close to giving up, but then I found the cove. Toothless seemed to have gotten stuck in it, unable to fly out because his left tail fin had been ripped off when he crashed." He looked at her. "The blood you found in the cove was his, not mine. And it didn't take me long to realize what I'd done; Toothless couldn't get back into the air, and he was unable to catch himself food. I hadn't killed him, but if I didn't do anything, he'd still die. So as soon as I could, I brought him a fish."

"You're absolutely crazy," she decided.

"I guess so," Hiccup smiled. "I was scared to death, but Toothless seemed, well, open to things. As open as you'd expect him to be towards the guy that shot him down in the first place. After I got rid of my dagger and had thrown it into the pond, that is."

"That's why I found it in there," she realized.

Hiccup nodded. "Toothless accepted my peace offering, but didn't want much to do with me still. But he let me stick around. So after that day, I kept coming back, to feed him and to study him. I started to see he wasn't a threat; more like a big, overgrown pet. And he realised the same about me." Hiccup smiled softly. "And eventually, he let me touch him, very softly on the nose. The same way I taught you to do with Stormfly. From that moment on, we were friends. And always have been since."

"But I knew it couldn't last. If I wasn't there to take care of Toothless, how would he survive? So I needed to get him back into the air somehow. Hence, I made him a new tailfin. But in order for it to properly work, it had to be able to change position. So he needed someone to control it." Hiccup pointed at himself with one of his thumbs. "Which is where I came in."

"And that's how the best weeks I've ever had on Berk went by. In the morning, I'd be in dragon training with you guys, using the tricks I'd learnt by playing with Toothless, and I'd spend the rest of the day bonding with him and working on his tail. It was awesome, really. Berk finally started to see me as more than utterly incapable, and I could spend the rest of my time with the dragon who was quickly becoming my best friend." Hiccup laughed. "To this day, I'm still flabbergasted that no one figured out I was cheating and bluffing my way through it. You seemed to be the only one who was kind of onto it. You actually almost caught me and Toothless in the forge one night." She remembered the night he was talking about. Well, that explained his even-weirder-than-normal behaviour.

"But, as with all good things, it couldn't last." Hiccup's expression turned more sour. "My dad returned the day Toothless and I took our first flight. I was in Valhalla, knowing I never wanted to be apart from Toothless ever again. Being his friend, his partner was the thing I was meant to do. So that night, when my dad came to talk to me…" Hiccup sighed. "For a moment, I thought he'd figured it out. That he was going to scold me, that he would kill Toothless and that it would be over just like that. But instead, he told me how  _proud_  he was of how I'd done in dragon training, and he gave me this helmet, made out of my mother's breastplate." Hiccup closed his eyes. "My dad had never told me he was proud of me. And now that he was, it was all a farce. I'd come to realize everything Berk knew about dragons was wrong. And so was everything they thought they knew about me."

"So there I was, placing first in dragon training after out-tricking you once again. Berk loved me, I had everything I'd wanted all my life… But it no longer mattered." Hiccup took a deep breath. "I knew the truth would catch up to me sometime. I couldn't kill that Monstrous Nightmare and I didn't know how to trick it into looking like it had died. I couldn't face my dad and tell him the truth about what I'd actually been doing. I couldn't give Toothless up for my own personal glory. Especially since it was all just a trick."

The look in Hiccup's eyes changed, from a sense of sadness to one of determination. "I had to choose between Berk and Toothless. So I left. I'd packed the things I most needed; some food, the schematics of Toothless' tail and my new helmet. But looking at it, I couldn't take that thing with me. It'd be given to me because of a long series of lies."

"So you threw it in the pond," she completed.

Hiccup nodded. "And I never came back for it."

His gaze wandered off towards the horizon and Astrid realised that she had been so mesmerized by his story that she'd forgotten to eat, her cod having blackened on some ends. Silently, she took a bite of it, overthinking what Hiccup just told her, feeling like she had to say something back. But she couldn't think of anything that could properly put her feelings into words.

"Hiccup, I –" she eventually started. "I don't know what to say."

"Well, it is quite a lot," Hiccup conceded.

She went back to the fight they'd had after he'd thrown her down. She'd been angry, and she hadn't known the full story. But she'd been wrong. "I'm sorry for what I said to you… earlier," she mumbled. Hiccup looked at her, his eyebrow and his missing one raised in surprise. "You didn't betray us by running away. You were right, you couldn't have told this to anyone. Toothless would have been skinned alive." She looked away from him, knowing that's what she would have done as well. "You weren't a coward. If anything, you were braver than all of us. No one on Berk knew the truth about dragons. And no one had been willing to find out. Except for you. But whether Berk would have believed you… I highly doubt that as well."

She spotted Hiccup smiling softly from the corner of her eye. "Thank you, I guess."

"You're oddly calm talking about this," she pointed out. "I'm surprised you're even talking about it at all, considering we're not exactly friends."

Hiccup pulled up his legs, wrapping his arms around it. "Well, we've done the angry-screaming version already. And it's in the past. I put it behind me when I came back to the Archipelago. By then, I'd wasted enough years crying over the way Berk treated me." Something in his eyes changed then, his expression hardening. "Telling you can't hurt me anymore. I'm no longer that Hiccup. Haven't been for years."

Hearing him say that, she couldn't help but wonder who Hiccup was in that case, if he was no longer that boy. She'd known Hiccup when he was 15, and she'd known him as the Phantom. And today, she'd seen Hiccup with Toothless. Talking about flying and doing so without a care in the world, an almost blinding smile on his face. Perhaps that was Hiccup. And he didn't seem too bad.

"Do you really hate Berk?" she asked him.

"Yes," Hiccup told her without hesitation, the look in his eyes growing even more frigid. "I hate them for the way I was treated. Not so much the way Snotlout and the twins used to bully me; we were teens, they were muttonheads. But the way in which the whole village – especially the adults – consistently looked down on me, told me in words or through their actions that I wasn't worth anything. Just because I wasn't like them." He took a deep breath. "I'm happy I left. I may have lost my tribe, but I got a whole species for it in return."

The look on Hiccup's face changed, his pupils becoming smaller and his lips drawing into a line, making his scars stand out even more. "And now they cower in fear of the Phantom." He scoffed. "If only they knew. The boy they thought nothing of for so many years, now the faceless enemy they can't defeat." He closed his eyes, his face becoming unreadable as he spoke. "They don't know who he is, they've never seen him. He's un-Viking-like, they can't just throw their weapons at him, and it's driving them crazy." He balled one of his fists, loosening it again right after. "I've got them right where I want them."

She eyed him warily, watching the Phantom slowly take control of the body of the friendly Hiccup she'd seen today. Maybe he believed that he was over what had happened to him on Berk. But his actions and the way his voice was now dripping with spite told her a different story.

"I agree Berk has been horrible to you, Hiccup," she decided. "But I can't agree with the way you're dealing with protecting the dragons from it."

"You don't have to," he responded, his voice low, his gaze aimed at the horizon. It sent a chill along her spine, strengthening her conclusion. Hiccup wasn't over the things that had happened to him on Berk. Far from it, in fact.

But after a few seconds, he looked at her again, his face having opened up. "When the queen's dead, it'll no longer matter anyways." He scratched Toothless' chin, shooting her a smile. "So, let's just continue flying practice tomorrow?"

She gave him a soft smile back, figuring that pressing the topic further wouldn't do either of them any good. "Deal."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's one more chapter done! I'm aware this chapter and the last one have been quite exposition-y from Hiccup's side, given that he's doing a lot of talking. But it wouldn't make sense for the two of them not to talk about these things, given that they finally have the occasion to and that Hiccup seems to be willing to share.
> 
> As I will be away from home next Thursday, I don't know if I'll be able to post the next chapter on the day itself; so I might post it either on Wednesday or Friday instead, depending on how far along I am. That one shall be called Entr'Acte – Not So Fireproof. I'll leave it up to you guys to guess what that might imply for the chapter's contents, and I'll be back with another preview on my Tumblr (aleteia-ff) on Tuesday…


	18. Entr'Acte - Not So Fireproof

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all my apologies for being so late with uploading! The past week has been very hectic and I'm coming down with a cold on top of that, so I have had less time to work on this chapter than I'd anticipated. But, here we are after all, and I'm just going to leave you guys to it. So please enjoy!

The days around Phantom Island slowly started to become quite bearable. Almost enjoyable, Astrid reluctantly admitted to herself.

As soon as the light of the sun crept through the volcano's mouth, Stormfly and she would take to the skies, taking in the morning air. Toothless and Hiccup would usually already be out and about; the two of them wanted to keep up their proficiency at flying in the dark and Hiccup had once stated that he loved watching the sun rise; there was something about light slowly replacing dark that he found appeasing.

They'd fly all day, with Hiccup giving her and Stormfly the space to figure things out on their own, but always keeping a watchful eye. She'd told him he didn't have to do that; she was getting better and better at flying, feeling more confident every day. But Hiccup insisted, and she didn't feel like arguing if she didn't have to.

In fact, they didn't argue at all. They usually had lunch and dinner together – always fish, Hiccup did not have much else to offer in that sense – but they – either subconsciously or intentionally – stayed away from topics that could put them at odds, such as Berk. And she had not seen Hiccup's darker, more spiteful side for a long time because of it. Instead, Hiccup would usually recount one of his dragon tales, demonstrating things on Stormfly or Toothless if he could, which allowed him to go more into detail than the Phantom had ever been able to. He talked about the theoretical sides of flight, showing her how the wind and other natural elements interacted with their dragons, and how she should react accordingly.

Before she met the Phantom, she would've found Hiccup's lectures utterly boring. She'd always been someone who got good at something by practicing over and over, banging her head against a rock wall if she had to. Hiccup's approach of studying things, figuring out how they worked at their very core, was quite different. But when she looked at the enthusiasm on Hiccup's face, the way his smile widened as he caught her listening to him with genuine interest, she couldn't help but enjoy it. It made Hiccup look unburdened in those moments, not pulled down by the weight he seemed to be carrying along with him. He seemed to enjoy sharing his stories with her from the depth of his heart, and it was impossible for her to crush that glee. She hadn't asked him to confirm, but she figured that in the five years he'd been studying dragons, he'd never really been able to share it with anyone. And she didn't mind being the first.

Today was something different however. Hiccup had beckoned her along, interrupting their flight and having her follow him back down to Phantom Island. Now, she found herself standing on the lake's shore with a sponge and a bar of soap as Hiccup showed her the right way to clean Stormfly's scales. Dragons could take care of their own hygiene just fine, he explained, but he found that a helping human hand could do a lot for their vitality. So, if she wanted to keep flying Stormfly, she should give her this in return. And the Nadder did seem to thoroughly enjoy it, almost purring as the two of them worked.

It took them longer than expected to completely clean the Nadder – Toothless jealously watching from the side-lines as he awaited his turn – and by the time they were done, Astrid was completely drenched herself as well. Room for improvement, she supposed.

"Well, at least I don't need to take a bath anymore myself either," she commented as she brushed her wet bangs out of her face. She'd gone back to braiding her hair on her back as it was more convenient while flying, but being subjected to the Archipelago's winter winds all day long surely wasn't doing it any favours.

"It's a win-win situation, really," Hiccup quipped as he flung some of the water on his gloves her way.

She winced in response, noticing how Hiccup himself was still remarkably dry. Deciding to change that, she threw her sponge at him, which landed right on his scarred cheek with a soft  _splush_ , sending droplets of water all over his armour and into his hair.

The way Hiccup just pulled up his remaining eyebrow, thoroughly unimpressed as the sponge slowly detached itself from his face, sliding down until Hiccup caught it, had her in shambles. She doubled over, holding her stomach while giggling, only to be interrupted by the same sponge landing on the crown of her head and soaking her even further.

Picking it off, she chuckled: "So dragon-grooming lessons today. Makes me wonder what's on the schedule for tomorrow."

"I was actually thinking of going to the Northern Markets tomorrow," Hiccup told her as he knelt down, starting to work on Toothless.

"What for? I thought you just stole everything you needed?" They'd gone over the subject of how exactly Hiccup got and made the stuff they needed once, after she'd explored the rest of the volcano with Stormfly's help. She'd concluded that, apart from dragons, there really wasn't much going on; all Hiccup owned and used was stored in his cave, which she'd come to call the Phantom's Nest. Hiccup's explanation had been that he hadn't really had time to do home decorating and usually just stole whatever he needed, using the Archipelago's unmanned forges and tanner's shops at night. Pro of having quite a few wimpier islands believe they were haunted, he had said; they usually just let him.

"Not everything," Hiccup corrected. "I usually try to get some stock in before the end of winter. Fruits, vegetables, potatoes and the like. Or whatever else catches my eye. So I don't know if there's anything you need?"

Thinking back to the little alcove she still used as a home, she didn't have much here at all. She didn't know Hiccup's budget, so she just started listing whatever she could think off. Another set of clothes would be nice – her fur mantle didn't really help while flying, so she needed some sort of coat, an actual blanket to sleep under, which didn't smell like fish, and a pillow. And some "female necessities", as she relayed it to Hiccup, who looked kind of flustered in response but didn't ask any further questions.

"Alright, got it," he eventually nodded, looking like he was going over the list again in his head. "I don't think I can make it there and back again in one day, so I'll leave at dawn tomorrow and I'll probably be back again around midday the day after. I'll leave you some food, and –"

"No," she interrupted him.

"No what?" Hiccup frowned.

"I'm going with you," she told him. "You're not leaving me behind. Especially given the things I need, my help might come in handy."

She watched Hiccup deliberate for a moment, seemingly internally arguing with himself whether picking a fight with her over this was worth the trouble. Eventually, he rolled his eyes and sighed as he turned back to Toothless. "Fine," he grumbled. "We leave at dawn."

* * *

Astrid had been ready at dawn, Hiccup picking her up on Toothless. His only condition had been that she couldn't fly there on Stormfly herself; given that Stormfly's hatchlings still couldn't completely go without their mother, and that they had to camp somewhere overnight, Hiccup didn't want to bring her along. So she found herself sitting behind him on Toothless once again.

It was a long flight indeed, which they mostly spent in silence. She felt a lot more relaxed on Toothless' back after having flown herself, understanding the mechanics behind it much better and only feeling the need to hold on to Hiccup if the winds got particularly rough. Somewhere in the afternoon, they started to descend, the island that apparently contained the Northern Markets coming into view. She'd heard about it; it was the place where you could find anything and lose anything you wanted, filled with criminals and other kind of people a sane person would rather avoid.

The island itself didn't look like much; it was mountainous and covered in grass and trees, with a few beaches. They made their way down through the clouds, landing on the far side of the island so Toothless could stay there and remain unseen. They continued on foot, making their way through the forest until they heard the sound of other human voices. At Hiccup's suggestion, she unwrapped her mantle from her shoulders and wrapped it around her head, using it as a slightly dysfunctional hood instead. It was better not to attract more attention than necessary, he told her, and she couldn't argue against that.

Walking into human territory, she could immediately see that this place wasn't exactly high-status. Most of the area was littered with stalls – some better maintained and with less holes in them than others – and there seemed to only be one actual building, which Hiccup led her into. It was made out of wood and as they approached it, the smell of food and alcohol was there to meet her. A tavern, she figured.

Her suspicions were confirmed as they walked through the door. The place wasn't busy; most of its wooden tables, which were decorated with nothing but either a chair or a stool, were completely empty and the people that filled the others didn't exactly look like they wanted company. There was a bar in the back, with a door behind the counter that led to another room – the kitchen, she figured – and one of the walls was littered with papers. And that was pretty much it.

Hiccup led them to a table in the back, sitting down on one of its stools with his back towards the wall. She sat down opposite of him, obscuring the rest of the tavern from her view. But given how tasteful the establishment looked, she didn't really mind. With her old axe visible on her back, she highly doubted anyone with bad intentions would dare to approach them.

"What are we doing here, Hiccup?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

Hiccup had kept his helmet on, but spoke nonchalantly through it. "I don't exactly have a varied diet, just eating whatever I can find. So whenever I come here, I like to treat myself to an actual meal. Not that the kitchen here is splendid – I'd say below average, even – but it does the job." He leant forward. "So what would you like?"

"I'll just have whatever you're having," she decided. She'd never been a picky eater and Hiccup probably had a better sense of what was safe to eat around here.

"Good choice," Hiccup agreed, getting up and moving over to the bar to order. She nervously tapped her fingers on the table until he returned, putting down a mug of yak milk in front of her. "Food will be along in a minute."

"No ale?" she teased. She never saw Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout drink anything else. Now that she thought of it, Hiccup usually just brought spring water for her to drink whenever they ate together as well.

Hiccup shook his head, not having sat back down yet but staring at something in the distance instead. "I don't do alcohol. Got really drunk one time and attempted to fly Toothless that way. I don't know how we got back to our camp, but the next morning I woke up covered in bruises and one of Toothless' ears was slightly crooked. So ever since, if he even smells a hint of alcohol on my breath, he outright refuses to even let me get on."

She chuckled, but Hiccup walked away from her, his attention drawn to the paper-covered wall. Curious, she followed him, moving to stand next to him as he studied the wall. It was littered with bounty posters, she saw now. Most of them featured a picture of some thug, along with a reward and whether they were expected to be brought in dead or alive, or both. A lot of them didn't feature a picture at all however, and contained various phrases describing a ghost, or a  _Phantom_ specifically.  _Dead or alive_.

"I always like to see how much my head is worth," Hiccup commented. "Looks like Outcast Island has upped their bid."

"And no one here knows you're him?" she whispered.

"Even if they suspect, no one has ever acted on it," he absent-mindedly answered as he moved to a different part of the wall. "This is the most interesting list, though," he told her as he dragged his fingers over it. It was incredibly long and didn't contain any drawings, just writing. Some entries seemed to have been crossed out. "Contains all people who are known to be missing. There's no price on any of these people's heads, but that doesn't mean these folks won't try to get something out of  _kindly returning them_."

" _Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III_ ," Hiccup read out loud. " _15, auburn hair, green eyes, short, thin posture. Only son of the Chief of Berk_." He dragged his fingers down, reading out some of the names. She recognized a few of them from the list she'd made back on Berk.

" _Oswald the Agreeable, former Chief of the Berserkers,"_ Hiccup murmured. As he got to the bottom of the list, he paused for a moment before continuing. " _Astrid Hofferson, 20, blonde, blue eyes, average height._   _Berk_."

Before she could have a look at her name herself, Hiccup dragged her back to their table, putting her back down in her seat. "Might be better not to look around too much," he told her.

"How did my name get on that list?" she asked as she watched Hiccup's eyes intently study her face. "I have only been gone for like, thirteen days? And as far as I know this place is miles away from Berk, and we don't get any traders during winter…"

"So someone from Berk sailed out to look for you," Hiccup deduced. "And that's how word got around."

Berk had sailed out during winter to look for  _her_? The last time they'd done that, had been for Hiccup himself. Why now? What had made her case this urgent? Sailing during winter could be suicidal, the winter cold and its blizzards having killed many experienced fishermen, traders and pirates. Somewhere in the distance, she heard Hiccup mumble something about how it might be better for her to wear his helmet to hide her face instead, but she didn't fully register it as she realised what the impact of her disappearance could have been on others. She'd been too blinded by the impulsivity of her decision, and in her enjoyment of learning how to fly, she'd almost forgotten about the people who cared about her back home. Her parents, her friends, Stoick and Gobber…

"I am a terrible person," she uttered.

Hiccup was comfortably leaning back, balancing his stool in such a way that it allowed him to lean his lanky figure against the back wall. "What's making you say that?"

"I made myself disappear into thin air, just like that," she managed. "I was so focused on you, on dealing with the whole Phantom-situation… But what does Berk think? How are they supposed to deal with this?" She gestured towards him. "I, of all people, should know what happens to people when  _someone_ disappears just like that. The uncertainty, the feeling of guilt knowing that you could have done something to prevent it…" She raised her hands to her face. "And now I'm doing the same to them."

Hiccup let his stool land back on all four of its legs, looking back at her. "It's not quite the same though, is it? I left to get away from them. You did it to help them."

She shook her head. "But they don't know that. We're the only ones that know what really happened. To both of us. I never told anyone about you."

"Then I guess that's true," Hiccup mumbled. "What do you reckon they think happened to you?"

"I don't know," she answered. "The last time they saw me, I was running into the forest, yelling that I was going to kill you."

"So they probably think that didn't work out," Hiccup completed. "That I abducted or killed you."

"Possibly, yeah," she wondered. "Or something along those lines."

"Well, they're not completely wrong, then," Hiccup shrugged. "I am the villain in all of this, after all."

"Things would be a lot easier if you'd just agreed to let me drag you back to the village," she bit.

"That wasn't happening. And it never will," Hiccup simply told her.

She frowned at him. She knew that. "I'm just wondering if I did the right thing," she mumbled. "Gods, I wish I could just let them know I'm fine."

"You probably didn't," Hiccup answered with certainty.

Before she could lash out at him, he continued. "I highly doubt there's something like ' _the_  right thing'. Sure, there are things that are wrong – such as killing, although humans even manage to justify that under certain conditions – but most of it is incredibly grey." He gestured with his hands. "It all depends on your point of view. Berk believes dragons should die, to protect themselves. And they can't see beyond that. I can, and I believe dragons have a right to live as well. They think they're doing the right thing – and I hate them for it – and so do I. There's never just one 'right thing'."

That actually made a lot of sense. "I guess so," she conceded.

"So the real question is whether you're doing  _your_ right thing, I suppose."

She shook her head, burying her hands in her hair and staring downwards. "I thought I was, but I just don't know anymore," she admitted. Her head felt clouded, a sense of chaos swirling through it. She'd gotten herself into such a mess. Why was she even talking to Hiccup about this? He  _was_ the source of most of her problems, after all.

She heard Hiccup sigh softly, two gloved hands wrapping themselves around her wrists and pulling them back down to the wooden table. As she looked up, she caught his green eyes staring at her. "You'll pull off your hood and reveal your hair like that," he told her, but kept resting his hands on top of hers. She watched his chest slowly move up and down as he audibly took a deep breath from behind his helmet. "I can't tell you what you should do, and I shouldn't. That's up to you to decide. But I don't necessarily think you're wrong either."

"Asking me to take you with me might have been the most impulsive and boar-headed plan I've heard in ages, especially after everything that happened between us," he laughed softly, but his eyes turned colder. "And it took me some time to see the merit in it as well. But there's some sense behind it. Berk will never kill the queen on their own and I am often too preoccupied with protecting dragons from Vikings to get around to the overarching problem. And they will never work with me. So neither will I with them."

The way he gazed at her turned softer, kinder. "But I know that they don't want to fight dragons all their lives. And neither do you. And I don't want to fight Vikings all my life. As peace is out of the question, killing the queen is the only way to make that happen. So if you want to go back to Berk – or if you want to murder me in my sleep – then that's your choice. But if your plan is to kill the queen and to end this conflict once and for all." Hiccup took another deep breath, slightly moving his hands as he did. "Then I'm with you in this."

She looked back at him, his words and just listening to his voice having slightly calmed her down. He was right. She'd gone on this journey because she'd believed it was the only way to solve their problems in the long run. She needed to learn how to fly properly, she had to figure out who their common enemy was and then she was going to kill her. And she'd only just started with the first step. Yes, she had hurt Berk, probably more than she ever had before. But this was a war, and sacrifices had to be made. And with this one, she finally had a shot at solving Berk's problems once and for all.

She looked at Hiccup's hands, which were still resting on top of hers. She couldn't help but think back to that one night in the arena, when his hands had softly grabbed her wrists as well. But also to that morning on which he'd roughly grabbed them and had thrown her out of the Phantom's Nest. Pushing that away as well as she could, she smiled softly at him, squeezing his hands before pulling them away. "Thank you, Hiccup."

They did not discuss the topic further, their lunch served quickly after. It wasn't too bad – yak steak with mashed potatoes and beans – and certainly a welcome change from all the fish from the past days. While eating, Hiccup told her about the various culinary creations that'd been served from this kitchen, making him decide that their least creative dish was probably the safest one. He'd moved his visor up while eating, but when they were done he completely pulled his helmet off, handing it to her.

"I don't know if people around here will figure out you're Astrid, but it might be better not to take chances. Unless you feel like being dragged back to Berk by someone even less kind than me," Hiccup joked.

"Aren't you afraid they'll do that to you?" she asked. "Your name is on that list too."

"Wouldn't be the first time people around here have seen my face," Hiccup shrugged. "Besides, I don't really fit the job description anymore. You recognized me because you knew me, but this place isn't generally visited by Berkians." A smirk appeared on his face. "Besides, even if they did suspect me to be the lost boy from Berk, they know better than to mess with me."

She pulled up an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

Hiccup laughed, reaching under the table and pulling Inferno up above it. It was usually strapped to his right pant leg, she'd noticed. "I didn't do anything. But people got nosy about how I'd gotten my scars." He waved the blade around in front of his face without lighting it. "So I told them I made them myself, just for the fun of it."

"That's not true, right?" she asked just to be sure. If he had, she'd have to create a new category of 'messed up' just for Hiccup.

Hiccup shook his head. "Of course not. But I told it convincingly enough for the story to spread within an hour. Haven't been bothered since."

"You made them fear you," she realised. He used that strategy with everyone.

"Exactly," Hiccup confirmed.

She shook her head as she took Hiccup's helmet from him, fixating it on her head. It smelled slightly salty from the inside, like the ocean breeze, with a hint of burn to it. But that didn't bother her at all; it was nice. The helmet didn't fit perfectly, but she could see through its eye slits and her braid fit inside of it, concealing her blonde hair. So it'd do the job.

* * *

They spent the afternoon wandering around the Northern Markets, looking for everything that made up their shopping list. Astrid didn't manage to find any nice dragon-flying gear, so they just bought some fabrics and sewing supplies for her to make her own. She did get her hands on some nice wool blankets to sleep under – even though Hiccup reassured her that in a cave full of dragons, those would soon smell like fish too – and a pillow, along with some supplies that would allow her to get through the less pleasant stages of the female month. The rest of their budget – Hiccup mostly traded in dragon scales – went to fruits and vegetables, along with some yak for them to roast in the coming days.

She quickly saw that Hiccup likely hadn't been lying about how he'd spread a story through the Markets; everywhere they went, the merchants eyed him warily, quickly obliging when he started to haggle for a lower price. They did fear him, or at least felt like they had to watch their backs. When she commented on it, Hiccup told her that she shouldn't assume these people were innocent either; even the traders he'd scared into dropping off all their wares at Berk had blood on their hands, he knew. Either directly or indirectly. That was all he'd had to say on the matter, his expression cold as ice. So she had decided not to press the matter any further. When it came to other people, Hiccup's opinions didn't exactly align with hers. They didn't need to clarify that anymore.

The sun was already setting on the island by the time they made their way back to Toothless, the Night Fury greeting the both of them with a happy warble. Hiccup instantly relaxed at the sight of the dragon. She also gave Toothless a few scratches herself as they got back on, copying the way she'd seen Hiccup do it. Hiccup confirmed that they certainly wouldn't make it back to Phantom Island before morning, as expected, so they'd camp somewhere overnight instead, as he didn't want to tire out Toothless and himself.

She couldn't make out the shapes of the island they eventually landed on as it was already dark when they got there, but Hiccup seemed to know where they were going. They landed somewhere close to the sea, the sound of crashing waves filling her ears. A beach, she realized as her feet landed in the sand.

"Where are we?" she asked as she could hear Hiccup start to build a campfire while her eyes were still adjusting to the lack of light.

"Melody Island," Hiccup stated as Toothless lit the twigs. It revealed they were indeed on a beach, in front of a cave opening.

"Melody Island?" The name sounded familiar. It had been in one of the Phantom's stories. Only then did she notice a faint sound in the distance. It sounded like a dragon call. "This is where you met the Death Song," she realized. "The dragon that draws other dragons in with its song, only to cocoon them in amber and eat them."

"You remember," Hiccup beamed as he took off his helmet, which she'd given back to him once they got back to Toothless.

"Why in Odin's name would we camp out here?"

"It's only logical," Hiccup smiled as he gathered two green-looking things from Toothless' saddlebags. "I don't know every island in the Archipelago, so I'd rather stay on one where I actually know what to defend myself from." He knelt down in front of Toothless, fumbling around with the Night Fury's ears. "I'm sorry, bud, but we can't take any risks."

"What're you doing to Toothless?" she frowned.

"Earplugs," Hiccup explained. "Death Songs don't hunt too actively – after all, why would they bother – so as long as Toothless stays put, we'll be fine."

"Of course we'll be fine," she teased. "Don't know why I ever worried."

Hiccup stuck out his tongue at her, fetching the yak legs they'd bought and handing her one to hold over the fire, one of the bones sticking out. Roasting meat or fish seemed to be the only way they cooked, but she didn't mind. Just having meat instead of fish twice today was a delight, with some vegetables on the side too.

They didn't talk much, the two of them just eating in silence. Toothless was spread out behind them, resting his head on his paws, occasionally lazily opening his green eyes and looking at the two of them to see if they were behaving themselves. It wasn't the first time Toothless seemed to feel the need to babysit them, even though they hadn't threatened to kill each other for over a week now. Things had actually been quite alright between Hiccup and her. She'd found it increasingly more difficult to stay distant and cold towards him – just like she had with the Phantom – so she'd decided to just stop worrying about it. Took less effort.

The Death Song's call made the atmosphere on the island quite eerie, especially since she couldn't see further than fifty feet away from her. The flames of the campfire were still burning in front of them, lighting Hiccup's face as he was gazing into the fire. It made his scars stand out even more, the flames throwing shadows over his face, giving him a slightly spooky look. Still, she once again had to admit to herself that he was handsome in spite of them. His auburn hair seemed to frame his face perfectly without him putting any effort in it. The lines of his jaw were sharp, his lips pursed as he seemed to be lost in thought, his one bushy eyebrow creased. After he'd told her what he'd led others to believe, she couldn't help but wonder what had  _really_ happened to his face. Trying to imagine it, she watched the flames' reflections dance in his eyes. Gods, those beautiful green eyes…

He turned to look at her then, a slightly wry smile appearing on his face. "You can ask," he simply said.

"About…?" she raised her hand to her own cheek, pointing at it. Hiccup just nodded in response.

She took a deep breath, not sure why getting the question across her lips was giving her this much trouble. She'd asked it before, after all. "How did you get your scars?"  _Let's just say I was naïve and stupid, and my luck ran out_. That's what he'd told her then.

"It wasn't long after I'd run away from Berk," Hiccup told her, his voice softer than usual. "I'd spent the winter flying around the Archipelago, discovering island after island, dragon species after dragon species. But part of me did miss Berk, in some way. So when spring came, I returned to the cove."

He smiled wryly. "I already told you what I found there when I did. It broke my heart. I'd had these childish daydreams while I was away, that I would one day return to Berk to show everyone that dragons were good after all. But it snapped me back to reality. My own father had chosen to remember me as the one thing I wasn't. A dragon killer. So I figured there was a good chance things would work out better for everyone if I remained dead."

As she watched Hiccup's face become swallowed by sadness, she felt the need to argue against what by then 16-year old him had decided to be the truth. But she didn't know how. She didn't know if Berk would've accepted it. Hiccup himself, without a doubt. But including Toothless? That was questionable.

"But one thing didn't quite sit right with me," Hiccup continued, frowning. "I'd seen so many dragons that winter. I hadn't managed to tame all of them, but none of them seemed as vicious as the dragons that usually raided Berk. It didn't make sense. So I went to look for the cause. And that's when I found the queen."

"She lives on a volcanic island – like mine, but way more dangerous – inside the active volcano itself." Hiccup gestured with his hands, painting the picture. "It's a humid place, filled with dragons, the air and steam itself already making you feel like you'll suffocate. And at the bottom of the volcano, she simply waits for the food the other dragons bring her."

"She's gigantic, at least 200 feet long and about 100 feet tall. And I didn't even see all of her. It looked like she had wings, but they were folded and had this worn-out look about them, like she hadn't used them for years. I started to draw her, figuring that she was the one who controlled all those dragons, and therefore the source of the Archipelago's problems."

Hiccup swallowed loudly. "But she noticed me. She brought her nose up to the ledge Toothless and I were standing on. She has six eyes, and all of them were looking at me. And right then, I could see a brighter future for the Archipelago, and for myself. If I could free the dragons from her control, the war would end. Which could happen in two ways: if she died, or if someone managed to tame her. And given how many dragons I'd tamed, 16-year old me was stupid enough to believe there was a slim chance he could do the same with her. He just had to try."

Her eyes widened as Hiccup continued his story, something frigid making its way up her spine. "So there I was, naively intending to be the Archipelago's hero, hand stretched out towards her snout. And then she lashed out at me, Toothless yanking us away just in time. We took off towards the volcano's mouth, but she chased after us. We were quicker than her however, and she realized that too. So she fired at us instead."

"To this day, I have never seen a fire breath as powerful. We narrowly dodged it, having to keep Toothless' tail out of the flames above anything else. But the sheer heat of the fire sent the temperature of the air around us to above the point where water boils." Hiccup took a deep breath. "Toothless' skin is fireproof. Mine wasn't."

She covered her mouth with her hand as she watched Hiccup move his own hand to his face, his fingers tracing the lines scattered across it. "We were flying to the left of her breath, so Toothless' prosthetic tailfin was the furthest away from it. Which left our right side exposed. The heat of her fire turned the humid air on that side to steam. And it seared my skin, covered it in scalds just like boiling water does."

"It hurt, Astrid. It hurt so terribly, terribly much," Hiccup mumbled, his voice cracking. He covered his scars with his hand, pulling up his legs and wrapping his other arm around them. "I passed out from the pain, certain I was going to die right then. But Toothless got us out, plunging us into the ocean, cooling me down and waking me back up, saving both of our lives." The expression on Hiccup's face changed, anger striking it. "After I'd risked them on some sort of reckless quest for heroism." He scoffed as he brushed his hand over his scars. "Luckily, she gave me a permanent reminder of my mistakes."

Hiccup stayed quiet after that, staring into the fire in front of them. He'd told his story with a certain sense of distance, or disbelief perhaps. But his hands were trembling, and the rest of his body along with it.

"Gods, Hiccup…" she spoke, rambling as she couldn't think of anything remotely useful to tell him. "I don't know what to say, I… Thor, if anything I can't believe you managed to get out of that with just the scars on your face. I mean, your hair is still mostly there, and –"

Hiccup turned to look at her, the look in his eyes enough to instantly shut her up. They looked outright shattered. "Only a few spots of my scalp got burnt, yes. And I was wearing a small dragon skin I'd found as a scarf against cold winds, which literally saved my neck," he elaborated, pulling at his gloves. She realized that, in all the time she'd seen him, he'd never taken them off. Ever.

Slowly, he removed them, his left before his right. Then, he held them out, the fire lighting them. "But scarring my face is not the only thing she did to me."

She audibly gasped as she stared at his hands, now laid bare to her. They were slim and well-defined, with long fingers. But that wasn't what drew her attention. His two hands were polar opposites, visibly trembling. His right hand was a mixture of red and pink, covered in white lines and visible scar tissue. Just like his face. He moved his fingers, bending and stretching them. She could see how his right hand seemed to move less smoothly, its skin stretching awkwardly as it moved.

"She didn't…?" she asked as the way Hiccup's hands looked made her realise what that could mean for the rest of his body.  _She didn't scar all of you, right?_

Hiccup didn't say anything, but just nodded as he started to work at his armour. He loosened the buckles and belts that seemed to keep the bottom and top part of it together, taking off the shoulder pads and other harder structures that protected his chest. Then, he pulled the remaining combination of dragon scales and leather over his head, leaving his torso bare.

She would've gasped again if her lungs hadn't completely run out of air right then. Hiccup's shapes weren't much different from how she'd imagined they would be; he was slender but strong, the muscles of his shoulders and abdomen clearly defined. But making its way upward from his right hand, covering his entire arm and a large part of the right half of his torso, were the same kind of scars that deformed his face. His skin was slightly pink overall, with deep red and white lines etched into them, forming indecipherable, almost lightning-like patterns. Only his neck seemed to be unscathed. Given that this was how his scars looked over four years later, she couldn't even begin to imagine what Hiccup had looked like when he'd just been burnt. Nor could she imagine the amount of pain he'd felt.

"My right leg is the same," he told her as he followed her eyes downwards, his voice sounding like it could break again any minute. "My clothes didn't catch on fire, but the steam did its work nevertheless."

"How are you still alive…" she wondered out loud, utterly devastated. She'd seen enough people with serious burns on Berk to know that the accompanying risk of infection usually didn't increase their odds at survival. But she'd never seen someone with nearly half of his body burnt. She could hardly wrap her mind around it.

"I ask myself that every day," Hiccup told her without a sense of humour in his voice. "After the ocean had done the initial cooling, Toothless just flew, carrying me half-awake on his back. Eventually, by some miracle, we were found by a tribe that was willing to help me heal." Hiccup closed his eyes, balling his trembling fists as he spoke. "Still, it took me months of fighting off fever dreams and excruciating pain to fully recover. The women who'd taken to healing me luckily knew how to utilize the healing properties of Night Fury saliva and didn't hurt Toothless. I got very lucky. By some miracle, I'm alive." He opened his eyes again, staring into nothing. "But after I'd gotten back on my feet, I ran. Away from the Archipelago, away from the pain that haunts me till this day. And it took me years on the other side of the world to realise I had to do something with the life I'd almost lost. And that I had spent all that time squandering that miracle instead."

Only then did she realize that it had not been this version of Hiccup that had sustained the scars that covered his body. It had been scrawny, little 16-year old Hiccup. A child. It explained the way some of his scars looked to be slightly lighter and stretched out awkwardly, only having been able to accommodate the growth of his body to a certain extent. But as she watched the way Hiccup was currently looking at the fire, hunched over, she couldn't help but see how fractured he looked. His scars didn't just cover his body, they hadn't just caused him incredible physical pain. For over four years, they had been etched into his soul. And it had taken him years to come back to the Archipelago to face them.

Along with that realization, an unsettling feeling came over her, creating a pit inside her stomach. She hesitated for a moment, but she just had to ask.

"Hiccup," she called him softly. "How do you intend to kill her?"

"The Red Death," Hiccup grimaced. "That's what I call her." It seemed fitting, given what she'd done to him. "I've spent the past one and a half year preparing myself for it. Toothless and I are flying better than ever before, I fireproofed his tail, made myself a fireproof suit, a sword that ignites on command, and a paralyzing dagger – although I still have to test it on a dragon that large." He sighed deeply and she could see he was intentionally avoiding her gaze. "Physically, I'm ready to fight her. But mentally…"

"You can't," she realized. Hiccup nodded, closing his eyes. His admission was silent but entirely clear to her. He didn't have a plan. He wanted to kill the Red Death, but he had never been able to after what she'd done to him. No wonder the Phantom used fear as his primary weapon. He was as afraid of her as the Archipelago was of him.

She looked at him then, her heart filling itself with a sense of hopelessness. Every time he'd told her he was going to kill the queen, he'd had no clue how or when. He'd led her on. But as she watched him, his face filled with nothing but hurt, his shoulders hunched over under the mental pressure of the years before, she couldn't be angry at him.

Ever since she'd first seen Hiccup's face, there had always been a sense of distance about him when he talked about his past, commenting on it with self-deprecation and sarcasm. But not this time. This time, he'd actually laid himself bare to her and he had shattered because of it, his hands still visibly trembling. This wasn't the kind of story he simply shared with others, if he had ever even told it at all. But he just had to her. He had asked her to ask him to tell it. And he didn't need her scolding, or her anger. Who she was currently looking at wasn't the Phantom, the man who seemed to haunt the Archipelago just for the fun of it. This was Hiccup, burdened by the physical and mental scars of a past she felt she'd only seen the tip of the iceberg of. And he just needed her help.

She sat up on her knees, moving through the sand, towards his figure. He looked up at her as she did, something akin to surprise in his eyes. She leant forward, closing her arms around his shoulders and pulling the two of them towards each other. Positioned like that, slightly taller than him due to being on her knees, she simply hugged him, her chin resting on his right shoulder, her cheek against his scarred one, her nose catching the faint mixture of saltiness and earthiness that made up the smell of his hair.

Hiccup froze for a moment, his breathing pausing. His skin felt warm against hers despite it being a cold winter night. Then, after a few seconds, he slowly moved his arms, wrapping them around her back and burying his nose in the small dent just above her collarbone. His voice cracked as he spoke. "I'm sorry. I couldn't lie about it anymore."

They just sat like that for minutes on end, the tension in Hiccup's body slowly seeming to pass, although not entirely. He had been there for her earlier that day, supporting her in his own way when she had been about to break down. And now it was her turn to do the same for him.  _That_  felt like the right thing to do. She could no longer see Hiccup as a potential monster. Inside of the tough shell he'd built for himself, he was also just a boy. One who had been hurt more than anyone deserved to have been.

"You're not alone, Hiccup," she told him, feeling him relax as soon as the words left her mouth. "We'll figure out a way." She couldn't look at him as she spoke, but just held him close instead. "I am with you in this."

Hiccup's hold on her strengthened, as if he was trying to pull her even closer to him. Three whispered words left his mouth, so silent she could hardly hear them. " _Thank you, Astrid._ "

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aahh! This is one of those chapters I'd planned since the beginning and I'm really happy to have it done and uploaded. Some of you already guessed correctly that the title Not So Fireproof referred to Hiccup's scars, and you were correct!
> 
> Next week should be less hectic than this one so I currently expect to post the next chapter on Thursday again.


	19. Entr'Acte - Dragon's Den

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day to all of you! As a writer, there's no one I love more than all of my readers and especially today I'd once again like to express my incredible gratitude for all of you who leave kudos, subscribe, bookmark and comments. It means more to me than I can ever express in words. So with that said, please enjoy!

That hug was all Hiccup and Astrid shared that night. They held each other for what felt like eternity, neither of them separating from the other. They didn't speak, but slowly but surely, Hiccup had relaxed, hugging her tighter, the two of them seemingly fitting perfectly in each other's arms. Ever since she'd started helping the Phantom, it had been her and Hiccup in this. But now, it felt like they were in it together.

It reminded her of that one night in the arena, a huge part of which they had spent just holding each other. There were so many things she hadn't known back then. She hadn't known that Hiccup and the Phantom were one and the same. She hadn't known Hiccup was alive. She hadn't known how he was capable of lashing out at her, making her fear for her life just because he couldn't stand not being in control. But now, he had shown her the depths of his humanity, of his weakness, and she hadn't even had to push him. He had told her she could ask. He had wanted to share it. With her.

She didn't know why. But as she felt him against her, it didn't matter. Hiccup's auburn hair was slightly tickling her, a mixture of salty ocean and lush forests filling her nostrils. It was different; most Vikings smelled like smoked yak and an overdose of ale. Or worse. She liked Hiccup's different. His slender arms around her waist, her hands on his shoulders, one side scarred, one side whole. Just like that night in the arena, it just felt right.

Eventually, they did separate, just looking at each other as they did. Hiccup's eyes were soft, their dying campfire reflected in his green eyes. She studied the lines on his face once more, now aware of the story behind them. His scars weren't just the lines on his face, they were the trenches in his soul. And just like the engravings on his face, those would never fully heal.

Still, he was attractive in spite of them, his face that of a man near adulthood, yet boyishly handsome. Something more primal, coming from the pit of her stomach, told her to lock her lips with his right then. But she couldn't let herself be swept away by sentiment. She hadn't forgiven him yet. Nor had she been able to forget. Besides, she shouldn't start making things more complicated than they already were. They had a dragon to kill, after all.

So she just got up, patting her skirt and leggings and straightening herself as she did. Hiccup gathered the blankets they bought that day, creating something akin to a bed for both of them. They both got settled into it quite quickly, Hiccup not even bothering to put his top back on. Maybe he always slept that way, she figured. Without exchanging another word, Hiccup doused the fire and their evening along with it.

She didn't sleep much. The Death Song's call eventually died out, the dragon having gone to sleep as well. What made her consistently wake back up as she was about to doze off however, was Hiccup. He twisted and turned, occasionally mumbling something she couldn't quite understand. He was having a nightmare. It wasn't until Toothless noticed and curled up next to him that Hiccup seemed to be somewhat at peace, allowing her to drift away into sleep as well.

* * *

Astrid woke up to a loud, high-pitched squeak. It pierced through the air, echoing in her ears and making her sit up straight. She thought she'd dreamt, but not even a minute later, she heard it again. She looked outside the cave, day already breaking through. She didn't see anything, but after she heard the sound one more time, she could no longer ignore it. It sounded like a dragon in distress.

"Hiccup!" He was turned on his side, his arms wrapped around Toothless' front legs, his mouth slightly open. She crawled over to him and shook his shoulder, attempting to wake him up from his admittedly cute sleeping position.

"Hm?" Hiccup opened his eyes lazily, looking up at her.

The squeal she'd heard earlier repeated itself. "What's that sound?"

"A dragon," Hiccup told her, turning back around and closing his eyes.

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, I'd figured that much. But what kind?"

Hiccup lazily rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "I'm not a walking Book of Dragons, Astrid," he complained as he slowly sat up, the dragon call echoing into their cave once again. Seemingly surprised, he pulled up his missing eyebrow. "Oh, that's a young Razorwhip," he deadpanned before lying back down. For someone who was up before dawn every day, he was exceptionally lazy today.

"A baby?" She got up to her feet, thinking back to Stormfly's own hatchlings. Those tiny dragons had hardly been able to take care of themselves when she'd first met them.

"No, slightly older," Hiccup groaned.

"Still, we have to save it," she decided.

Hiccup snapped up straight as she walked out of the cave, Toothless jumping up in surprise. Being deaf probably wasn't doing the dragon any favours. "Whoa, Astrid, wait up, you're talking about grabbing a dragon out of a Death Song's hunting ground." He got up, hastily grabbing his armour from the floor when she didn't stop. "That's asking for trouble."

"Checking it out can't hurt, right?" she told him, increasing the distance between them.

"I know it's hard, but these things happen," Hiccup countered, putting his armour back together. "It's nature, we can't always save every dragon from being eaten by another one."

"So if they're attacking Vikings, you jump in to help them, but an adult dragon killing a baby is totally fine?" she threw back at him, jogging in the direction of the sound. "I thought you had a soft spot for runts?"

"Oh my Thor,  _fine_ ," she heard Hiccup sigh before he ran after her. Looking behind her, she saw Toothless follow suit, the dragon parading after Hiccup, seemingly not having a clue as to what was going on.

Sooner than expected, she came upon the opening of a long, deep canyon, with certainty the source of the sound. The Razorwhip's call echoed through it once more, the canyon increasing its volume, which is how it had reached them in the first place. Hiccup slipped to a halt next to her, still fixing his armour. "It's coming from in there," she pointed.

"I know. Coincidentally, that's where the Death Song lives," Hiccup sarcastically confirmed.

She glared at him, meeting his unamused stare. They kept their staring contest up for a while, both of them crossing their arms, until the Razorwhip's distress call reached their ears once again.

"Alright, let's go," she decided, marching into the canyon. "You said Death Songs don't actively hunt, right? So it should be fine."

"I don't get why you're so adamant about this," Hiccup pondered. "Before we met, you chopped off multiple dragon heads every night."

"Your fault for teaching me about dragons," she teased. She protected the things she loved. She'd always done it that way.

"Sure," Hiccup deadpanned, walking after her. "And the only time you decide notto listen to me, is when I tell you  _not_  to do something." She heard an annoyed groan and could almost hear Hiccup roll his eyes. "I swear, Toothless, be happy there aren't any women in your life. They're nothing but trouble." The Night Fury warbled something in response. He sounded confused. "Ah yes, you can't hear anything. Well, consider yourself lucky."

She ignored Hiccup's sulking, continuing onwards. The Death Song's own call hadn't returned yet, so the dragon was likely still asleep. The canyon was long, its tall rock walls dangerously looming over them. But the Razorwhip's call sounded nearby.

"Hm, if the Razorwhip's this close to the beach, it might not have been the Death Song's doing after all," Hiccup thought out loud behind her.

They turned around a corner, Astrid's eyes instantly spotting something orange shimmering in the sun, along with a silver reflection. She immediately recognized the dragon, having seen a similar one on Phantom Island. Hiccup had been right; the call had come from a young Razorwhip, only slightly bigger than a lamb. It didn't look injured, but it was completely trapped in amber, its head the only thing it could still move. It looked exhausted, and terrified. She sprinted towards it and the dragon's large green eyes soon fixated themselves on her, calling out once more.

"And I was wrong," Hiccup whined, running after her and kneeling next to her as she attempted to calm the Razorwhip down. The dragon kept squirming however as she tried to put her hand on its snout, calling out even louder. "We have to be quick," Hiccup murmured, fiddling around with Inferno.

She looked at him, but he'd put his helmet back on. "I don't hear the Death Song, so it's probably still asleep, right?"

As if summoned by Loki himself, a shadow passed over them right then. She looked up at the sky, spotting the dark silhouette of a dragon moving in front the sun. And it certainly wasn't Toothless.

"Oh, that's bad," Hiccup concluded. "We have to get out of here now."

"What about the Razorwhip? Can't we free it?"

Hiccup shook his head, dragging her to her feet. "No time. It'll just get caught again if we let it go now." She picked the Razorwhip up in her arms, the amber luckily not having attached itself to the ground. It was heavy, but she could handle it, chasing after Hiccup as fast as she could. He was making his way back to Toothless, who seemed to be very intrigued by the rocks he was currently sniffing. The Razorwhip squealed loudly as they ran, its call echoing through the canyons loudly enough for even Toothless to hear, who looked up in surprise. And so did the Death Song.

It soared towards them, allowing her to get a good view of the dragon for the first time. Its body was long and slender, ending in a thin tail. Its beautiful yellow-and-orange wings were spread out, giving her a good look at the intricate blue pattern that was drawn on them. The blue frills on its head were aggressively spread out, its nosehorn and the two long, slightly crooked horns on its head pointing in their direction. "I'm guessing this is one of the dragons you did not manage to tame?"

"You're absolutely correct!" Hiccup shouted as the Death Song dove towards the canyon, focusing its eyes on them. Toothless spotted the dragon as well, growling aggressively at it and showing his teeth. The Death Song's mouth pulled back, the dragon showing its own fangs as well. Hiccup gestured towards Toothless, but it was too late; partially in terror and partially intrigued by the exotic dragon's capabilities, she watched Toothless get hit by a splat of amber, encasing him almost whole.

Toothless warbled in distress, its big eyes looking at Hiccup. The Death Song headed straight for the Night Fury, but Toothless fired before the dragon could get anywhere close to him, hitting it right in its stomach. The Death Song backed off, focusing its eyes on Hiccup, her and the Razorwhip instead. "It wants us," she realized.

"I know," Hiccup agreed, turning around and grabbing her wrist, dragging her along and gesturing something to Toothless she figured meant 'stay put'. They ran back through the canyon, Hiccup dragging them around another corner and into a part of the maze where the opening was slimmer at the top than at the bottom, concealing them from sight.

She had no time to think about their next move as Hiccup's arms instantly closed around her waist, dragging her down with him to the floor until she found herself sitting between his legs, the cocooned Razorwhip in her lap. Before she could ask what he was doing, Hiccup threw something over the three of them. It looked like a regular cloak, until it landed and stopped moving. Then, it turned transparent.

"Changewing skin," Hiccup whispered before she could ask the question. His arms were still firmly around her, holding her so close she could feel his warmth through his armour. "Just wait it out. Toothless would rather blast the Death Song to pieces than get eaten."

They could hear the Death Song fly past above them, its shadow briefly darkening the canyon. She briefly thought the danger had passed, but that's when the Razorwhip decided it was the right time to start squirming again, its cry so loud it almost hurt her ears.

"Sssh," she whispered, stroking the Razorwhip's smooth skull. The dragon didn't stop squealing however. The Death Song seemed to have located the source of the sound as well, landing on the ground a few hundred feet away from them and making its way into the canyon.

Desperately, she put her left hand over the Razorwhip's mouth. A sharp pain shot through it before she could realise what a stupid idea that'd been, the dragon instantly having sunk its teeth into her palm. She winced silently, holding her hand to her chest, droplets of blood welling up.

"Give me Stinger," Hiccup told her, his voice soft but alarmed.

The dagger was still strapped to her belt. "What, why?"

"Please just  _trust me_ ," Hiccup hissed.

Figuring she'd rather get out of this alive as well, she got the dagger from her belt, handing it to Hiccup. Hiccup swiftly reached around her, grabbing the Razorwhip's beak and shoving the dagger inside it. The little dragon instantly froze, but the Death Song was still coming their way, now dangerously close.

She heard Hiccup fumble with something and watched as he flung something out from under the Changewing skin. It left behind a green trail in the air before landing just in front of the Death Song's feet. The dragon looked at it, the air in front of it rapidly becoming consumed by green gas – a Zippleback's, she recognized. The Death Song jumped back in response, gawking aggressively as the gas slowly blocked its view.

Hiccup pushed her up to her feet. "Run."

They sprinted towards the canyon's exit, back to Toothless, the Razorwhip still frozen in her arms. The Changewing skin no longer covering the three of them, Hiccup tossed some more canisters behind them, quickly filling the canyon completely with gas. "Should disguise our smell at least," he murmured.

Hiccup sprinted ahead of her as they were about to reach Toothless, igniting Inferno and driving the blade straight through the amber covering the Night Fury. Toothless instantly spread his wings, Hiccup jumping on his back and pulling her up. They took off as soon as she touched down on Toothless' saddle, Hiccup tucking the Changewing skin away somewhere.

They were hardly in the air when the Death Song shot out of the canyon, coming straight for them.

"Hiccup!" she yelled, making him look around and spot the dragon behind them.

Toothless instantly shot up, Hiccup fumbling with his ears and returning the dragon's sense of sound. "Alright bud, let's not get hit this time."

They turned upside down, flying above the Death Song as Toothless aimed a plasma blast right at the Death Song's back. The dragon fired back in anger, Toothless twisting sideways and narrowly dodging the shot of amber. She screamed, holding on to Hiccup and the Razorwhip for dear life.

Toothless hit the Death Song again, the dragon recoiling as a result of the sheer force behind the blast. They spiralled back up, making the Death Song look up in confusion. As they hit it once again, the dragon finally seemed to decide to let it go. It glared at them before flying back down to its lair, surrendering.

They levelled out, heading for the ocean. The adrenaline still rushing through her veins, she found her arms wrapped tightly around Hiccup's waist, the Razorwhip almost crushed between them. She'd never seen him fly like this, but it'd been a good thing he'd been able to. Looking at the little dragon in her arms, she decided the trouble had been worth it. But she didn't know if Hiccup felt the same way.

"Hiccup, I –" she started.

"Let's just go home," he interrupted her, coldly ending their conversation before it'd even started.

Not long after, Toothless touched down on the beach, Hiccup and her quickly gathering the supplies they'd left behind before getting back on, the Razorwhip still in her arms. Not willing to bother with Hiccup's mood, she made sure to escape his prying eyes for a moment and tore off a piece of cloth from her pillowcase, wrapping it around her injured hand. Then they took off, leaving Melody Island and the Death Song far behind them.

* * *

"Looks like this one hasn't been away from the nest for too long yet," Hiccup murmured as he studied the Razorwhip. Their flight back to Phantom Island had gone smoothly and they were currently sitting in Hiccup's Nest. The Razorwhip's paralysis had worn off on the way back and Astrid had managed to calm it down eventually, after it'd spent quite some time attempting to bite her and Hiccup. Her hand still hurt, but she was sure it was going to be fine.

"How can you tell?" she asked him, genuinely curious. Hiccup seemed to be back to normal, his earlier colder demeanour once again replaced by the warmth she was slowly coming to know him for.

"Baby Razorwhips are smaller," he told her as he lit Inferno, waving the blade around in front of the dragon's eyes. The Razorwhip's green orbs followed it, and she realized Hiccup was hypnotizing it. "And they are blind."

"That seems… risky," she frowned.

Hiccup pouted slightly, his eyes studying the Razorwhip's cocoon. "They are watched over until they finally gain eyesight," he explained. He pierced the amber with his sword, which broke off almost instantly. "There you go, little fellow."

The Razorwhip squealed happily, spreading its wings and enjoying its freedom. It hopped around, happily gawking and flapping its wings. But something was off. She'd seen how Stormfly flew, using her tail to maintain balance. And the Razorwhip's tail wasn't moving at all.

"Hiccup, isn't –" she started, but before she could finish her sentence, the Razorwhip shot off towards the edge of the Nest. She sprinted after it, watching as the dragon jumped off the cliff, spread it wings and promptly plummeted downwards. She reached out, arching forward, her feet slipping to a halt right on the cave's edge. Nevertheless, she managed to grab one of the Razorwhip's hind legs with her right hand, leaving the dragon dangling around in the air. She struggled to maintain her balance however, finding herself balancing over the edge and looking down into the volcano once again.

"Astrid!" Hiccup yelped, and she could feel his hand close around her other wrist, stabilising her. She looked back at him, finding herself in the same position she'd been nearly two months ago; about to fall out of the Phantom's Nest, with only Hiccup preventing her from tumbling down.

The look in his eyes this time around was completely different however. Where they had been filled with hate before, he now looked slightly bewildered and outright  _concerned_. And before she could make a snappy comment about the irony of the situation, he pulled her back up, wrapping his other arm around her waist as soon as she was in reach, stabilising her. It'd been the second time today he'd held her like that. And it felt surprisingly safe.

Toothless snapped her out of it by nuzzling her leg, his big green eyes looking up to her as if he was begging. Slowly and carefully, he took the Razorwhip from her and dragged the dragon back with him, its body in his gummy mouth, seemingly intending to babysit it himself. As soon as he let the Razorwhip go however, it shot off again, so Toothless physically put his body on top of the silver dragon, preventing it from escaping and giving it no other choice but to resign itself to its destiny.

Hiccup and Astrid chuckled in unison. She realized that he still hadn't let her go, and she found herself looking back into his green eyes. They looked relieved.

Hiccup gazed back at her, giving her a soft smile before his eyes travelled downwards. She would've thought he was checking her out, if he hadn't frowned right then.

"What happened to your hand?" he asked, pulling it closer and unwrapping the cloth. He revealed a series of bite marks, blood dried around them.

"I tried to silence the Razorwhip without stabbing it," she deadpanned.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, releasing her and walking over to his chests. "And you were planning to just let it heal like that?"

"Razorwhip teeth aren't venomous, right?"

Hiccup chuckled. "Very clever to wait until now to ask me that. If they were, you'd already be dead."

"See, no problem at all," she shrugged.

"You still have to take proper care of these things," he lectured her, gesturing to the stool at his desk.

Reluctantly, she sat down. She didn't like being taken care off. She could take care of herself.

Hiccup smiled as he caught the look on her face. "Come on Astrid, don't sulk. It's not like I haven't been bitten before myself." He took off his gloves and pointed at a few of the white marks on his right hand. "They just don't stand out as much among the rest of them."

She smiled softly at the way Hiccup was now showing her his scars, whereas he'd always hidden them from her. He gathered some supplies and knelt down in front of her, taking her hand in his. Slowly and skilfully, he started to clean the wound, using only some water and soap. It stung slightly, but she didn't let him notice. Instead, she just watched him. He looked focused, a concentrated frown on his face, one of his teeth biting down on his lower lip. It looked kind of cute.

"Hey, Hiccup," she asked, breaking the silence. She hadn't been able to shake the way he'd cut her off earlier. "Are you mad at me? You know, for today?"

Hiccup briefly looked at her with his big green eyes before shaking his head. "I'm sure I could find a reason to be mad at you if I wanted to. But no. I let you go through with it, after all. I was just frustrated because honestly, my part in it was incredibly sloppy. I should have known better." He sighed. "If anything, I admire your spirit. You didn't know that dragon at all, but you still went out of your way to help it. And you were right. Those kind of dragons need our help too; I shouldn't just accept that I can't be there for all of them."

"Well, at least I've seen two more of your tricks today," she teased, hoping it'd cheer him up from his jadedness. "Changewing skin and what I'm guessing were canisters of Zippleback gas. That first one explains a lot about how no one's ever seen you on Berk."

"Their skins are not ideal though," Hiccup explained. "I tried to make armour out of it at first, but it's a tough material to work with. Very rough and if you don't sow it just right, it loses its camouflage properties."

"Did you always cover yourself in those when we talked in the arena?" she couldn't help but ask. "Because it always sounded like you weren't in one specific place."

"Occasionally, yes," he admitted as he continued cleaning her hand. "But most of the time, no."

"Then how did you do it?" she prodded.

Hiccup sighed, then gave her a smile. "I told you I picked up an interest in architecture, right?" She nodded. "So, when I came back to Berk and found you guys were building a whole other layer beneath the arena, but didn't finish it, I decided to do it myself. After all, the space was already there –" Gobber's terminated expansion works, she realized. She'd never seen them herself, but Hiccup's description sounded accurate. "– so sound echoed through it beautifully. All I added were some tiny holes in its walls for me to look and talk through, access points to the locks and of course loose stones, allowing me to climb into the cells."

"That's how you sprung my trap," she realized. He had moved it from below.

He nodded. "You almost found it, actually."

She remembered. "You incorporated it into the natural lines of the stones… I was trailing my fingers along it, and that's when –"

"I started talking to you," Hiccup smiled.

"Pointing my attention to where you weren't," she scoffed, almost hitting herself in the face for being tricked that easily. "Gods, I can't believe I didn't think of that." Not that it mattered anymore. "But you have way too much time on your hands. Why would you go through all that trouble?"

"It took my mind off things, I suppose. It helped me kill time in between raids," he shrugged. "It also gave me a way to train some of the dragons before releasing them, so they'd follow me here instead of flying off and possibly getting caught by the Red Death again. Besides, it didn't take me that long; Changewing acid does wonders, especially when you want to go through rock. It's pretty hard to explain, I'd have to show you to really make it clear."

"Well, we already agreed you'd show me some day, so I can't wait to see what else I missed," she joked, unable to be too frustrated about it. Sure, she hated being out-tricked. But they had more important things going on, which had to do with first thing he'd said. She didn't have to ask what exactly he needed to take his mind off.

"Thank you for telling me the story yesterday, by the way," she told him, her voice soft. "Can't have been easy."

Hiccup smiled wryly. "I couldn't keep it up anymore. Just smiling and pretending I've got killing her all figured out. Especially given how hard you're trying to make this work, being out there on Stormfly every day."

She couldn't bring herself to be angry at him for not telling her earlier. He didn't need that. "Hey, you told me now," she looked at him, squeezing the hand he was currently cleaning hers with before thinking about it. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she continued: "I'm surprised you're still defending dragons, after what the Red Death did to you."

Hiccup stayed silent for a moment, looking at his hand in hers. Briefly, she considered hugging him again, but then he spoke. "She's an exception."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She's one bad dragon among all the good ones," he elaborated, resuming his work on her hand. "Whereas there are only a few good people among all the bad ones. So that makes it easy for me to decide which side I'm on."

"You really don't think highly of humans, do you?" she asked, concerned.

Hiccup shrugged. "I've seen lots of them. Both in the Archipelago and outside of it. And I hardly ever encountered anyone truly trustworthy and well-meaning."

"You're not exactly trustworthy and well-meaning either," she pointed out. "To Berk, that is." That addition had accidentally escaped her. Since when had she started to make that distinction?

"Which only strengthens my conclusion," he told her, releasing her hand. He beckoned Toothless over. "Can you let your plaything go for a second and give Astrid a lick, bud?"

The Night Fury promptly released the Razorwhip, growling at it and seemingly telling it to stay put. He walked over to her, nuzzling her hand and giving it a long and thorough lick with his tongue. It felt disgusting, but she couldn't lash out at the dragon as he was looking at her so sweetly. So she just pet him instead. "Thanks, Toothless."

He warbled happily, returning to his new friend as Hiccup grabbed a piece of cloth, starting to bandage her hand.

"What am I in your opinion?" she asked him. "Good or bad?"

Hiccup smiled softly. "Well, you went out of your way to save a dragon twice today."

"You saved me trying to save a dragon twice today," she teasingly corrected him.

"Stormfly or one of the other dragons could've caught you just now if you'd fallen," he countered.

"Then you still saved me once," she smiled. "You could've also let me go into the canyon alone."

"And let you get eaten by a Death Song?" Hiccup scoffed. "Please, Astrid, you're the only one bringing a bit of colour into my otherwise quite grey existence."

Her heart stopped for a moment and she couldn't do anything but stare at Hiccup as those words left his mouth. He looked back at her, his eyes big as he seemed to process what he'd just said. She could swear she spotted a hint of red on his cheeks that wasn't caused by his scars.

He quickly tied her bandages together and got up, awkwardly rubbing his neck with one of his hands. "So yeah, I guess you're not too bad. Good job on the dragon-saving and all."

She smiled, looking down at the floor. "You're not so bad either."

"Regarding the bandages, you should have those changed at least once a day," Hiccup rambled, not meeting her gaze. His current colour  _definitely_  wasn't caused by his scars and that sight made her heart contract a little. "Have Toothless lick them from time to time, Night Fury saliva works great on those kind of wounds."

"Thanks for looking out for me, Hiccup," she told him, getting up as well so she didn't have to deal with this conversation any longer. She looked at the Razorwhip, who was still being strangled against its will by Toothless. "I'll take the Razorwhip back down with me."

"Yeah, the paralysis might not have completely worn off yet, but it'll likely fly again in a few days." Hiccup made his way over to his bed, walking back up to her with something she recognized. The weapons he'd taken from her. "I think you should have those back. I got back Stinger, after all," he smiled sheepishly.

She rolled her eyes and took them from him. It was about time, but she appreciated the gesture.

Hiccup flew her back down, leaving her with Stormfly, the Razorwhip and the stuff they'd bought at the Northern Markets. As he flew back up, she couldn't help but feel like something had changed in the past days they'd spent together. They had been friendly with each other already. But in the past two days, Hiccup had shared another part of his soul with her, which she couldn't be anything else but thankful for. And in a way, he'd shown some sort of appreciation for her too. And she couldn't help but think that maybe, she should start trying to trust him again.

They were together in this after all. He hadn't lashed out at her, or done anything to hurt her since she'd started flying. And he cared for her. It showed. There was no way he was faking things this consistently. And increasingly, she found herself hoping he wasn't. Because after last night, she'd realised she'd started to care for him too. If only so slightly. Her fascination with the Phantom had started with his stories, about the dragons he knew, the places he'd visited. And now that she had started to learn Hiccup's personal stories, she couldn't help but feel even more intrigued than she had been before. He needed someone with him in this journey. And she wanted to be that person.

* * *

Astrid Hofferson had been missing for two weeks. And Stoick the Vast hadn't slept well for fourteen nights.

The Hoffersons themselves had sailed out to find her, unable to stay put and wait for news. Just like Astrid herself had always been. And he couldn't blame them. Five years ago, he'd done the same for his own son. And two decades ago, for his wife. And despite the hell he went through in those years, he would do it all again. Because no parent could just let their child disappear. And the same went for a husband and his wife.

At least with Astrid, there was a chance she was still alive. He'd crumpled the note the Phantom had left them several times, only to spread it out again and read over the words once more.

_You will curse the day you did not do_

_All that the Phantom asked of you_

It simply couldn't be a coincidence that it had arrived the day after Astrid had disappeared. The Phantom knew something had happened to her and had very likely been responsible for it. And he was using it as a reprimand, to punish Berk for its disobedience. It drove Stoick mad, made his blood boil. There was no way he could have obeyed the Phantom's orders, but he felt an incredible sense of guilt nevertheless. Even though he knew the Phantom likely would have done whatever he had done even if they had obeyed, because that was the kind of man they were dealing with. Untrustworthy and vile. But he couldn't help but wonder about the  _what if_.

Another child of Hiccup's generation, gone. The girl his son had had an incredible crush on, nonetheless. Not that the Phantom could have known that. To him, she was probably just the girl who had been relentlessly hunting him for months. Stoick had no doubt the Phantom had figured out Astrid's plan very early on, but he simply hadn't been able to bring himself to tell her to stop until it had been absolutely necessary. Especially considering the way she looked, time and time again, when he got her out of that cell in the morning. He didn't know what her expression had exactly been, but she had always looked… undone.

They were searching on Berk for her as well, hoping to find a trace or some kind of explanation of what had happened to her. The same kind of search Astrid had participated in and resolved herself when Hiccup had gone missing. Some would probably see the irony in that, but he couldn't.

Absolutely certain that the Phantom had something to do with it, he mostly searched the area in which Tuffnut had been stabbed, as that was the only place outside the village where they knew the Phantom had been for sure. He couldn't devote a lot of time to the search himself, given that the village also needed his attention, but he tried to pitch in whenever he could. He couldn't get much rest these days anyways.

Tonight, Gobber and he were working tirelessly with a pair of shovels, trying to see if they could find anything beneath the snow. His friend was usually at his side in his late night searches. They didn't talk much, but they didn't need to. Years of friendship allowed the both of them to leave a lot of things unsaid, which was the way he liked it. He had always been a man of deeds over words. As he'd never been good with the latter.

"Stoick," Gobber eventually called out. He looked up, finding his friend leaning on his shovel and peering at something on the ground. "You might want to see this."

He walked over, but found nothing but rock at Gobber's feet. They were digging close to one of Berk's mountains, so that made sense. "What is it?"

"Hold this," the blacksmith murmured, detaching his prosthetic arm – currently outfitted with a lantern – and handing it to Stoick. Gobber knelt down, using his stump to wipe away some more snow. Stoick helped him light the spot, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Gobber lightly prodded it however, moving over the stone with his good hand. "As I thought." He frowned, his blonde eyebrows creasing before he slightly moved the stone with a loud grunt.

"Some help here, Chief?" Gobber begged, holding onto the stone with all five of his fingers. Stoick knelt down as well, grasping onto it and together, they shifted it, revealing a huge hole underneath it. Which certainly wasn't nature's doing.

"This is man-made," Gobber confirmed, sitting down to catch his breath. "But who would do that? No man can lift this on their own."

"No man can," Stoick murmured. "But what about a dragon?"

"You're not thinking…?" the blonde man murmured, his moustache pointing in Stoick's direction.

"The Phantom," Stoick nodded.

He peered down into the hole, kicking a pebble into it. Judging by how quick it hit the floor, it wasn't too deep. He jumped, his feet touching down on solid rock. He found himself in a tunnel, and a large one too. This spot seemed to be the end of it, with the only way he could possibly go being forward. And he knew where that led. To the village.

"Thor almighty," Gobber murmured as he landed behind him. "These are Whispering Death tunnels. Those dragons haven't lived on Berk for years."

Stoick frowned, walking further into the darkness, lighting his way with Gobber's lantern-prosthetic. "Then either these tunnels were already here, or someone made them recently."

"Not exactly the kind of thought that makes you sleep well at night," Gobber agreed, following his chief. "Why, though?"

"That's what we're here to find out."

They made their way through the tunnels, finding a system more intricate and more coordinated than any dragon could have made on its own. They had long suspected that the Phantom had a special relationship to the beasts, but if this had truly been his doing, his command of them went further than they'd previously anticipated.

They walked for what seemed like hours, with seemingly no end in sight. They didn't know whether to go up or down, and splitting up seemed too dangerous. They had no idea what could possibly be down here, after all. Even finding their way back would probably already be quite a challenge.

Eventually however, the structure of the rock beneath their feet changed. And instead of in a tunnel, they found themselves standing in a larger structure. Stoick tried to light the place as well as he could and found that they were standing in something circular. The space spread out to the left and right of them, seemingly looping around a wooden structure in the middle.

"I know this place," Gobber stammered.

Stoick turned to look at his friend. "How come?"

Gobber gestured to the wooden structure. "Made it myself."

That's when it him. "We're below the arena." Before the Phantom had started to haunt them, they'd intended to expand it, so it could house a wider variety of dragon species for them to use in dragon training. The plan had been to build a layer beneath the existing ring by just digging through the floor of the existing one, which Gobber had overseen. They'd finished that, but the rest of the plan had been abandoned as the Phantom had come to Berk, due to a lack of time and urgency. They'd built a wooden cylinder in the middle and had filled it with stone instead, returning the floor of the arena to its former glory. But some of the space underneath the cells themselves had remained.

Even in the dark, they found that the structure had not stayed the way Gobber had left it. It had been modified. Some of the space between the arena's existing cells had been carved out, stairs and little platforms allowing one to reach modified versions of the locks and to look into the ring and the cells themselves. He could hear Gobber marvel at the engineering skill of whoever had made it. But Stoick himself couldn't think of it as anything else than extremely disquieting. Especially when they examined the ceiling and found slabs of stone that could be moved out of place, giving whoever was thin enough to fit through it the ability to pull themselves up into the dragon's cells.

"Why did he put all this effort in it?" Gobber wondered out loud. "Surely there were other ways to free dragons."

"Same reason as all madmen," Stoick deduced. "To prove they can. Just thinking about how long it took us to find it probably already made his year."

Hence, they decided to leave their findings untouched for the night. There had been no sign of the Phantom, nor of dragons in the tunnels and by the time they made their way back to the entrance – both of them too big to lift themselves into one of the cells and get out like that – they hadn't seen a sign of Astrid either. Yet Stoick couldn't help but feel their discovery of tonight made her disappearance even more chilling. All those nights she'd spent in the arena, the Phantom could have been watching her, stalking her, without her knowing. Just thinking about that perverted possibility already made his blood boil. Whoever the Phantom was, he was despicable.

And as if the Phantom had overheard his thoughts, Stoick awoke to another note that morning.

_She's fine_

_For her sake, I hope you intend to keep it that way_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not too happy with my description of the arena; I know what it looks like but describing architectural structures in text is something I find very hard to do – and so did Hiccup when explaining it to Astrid. The place will be visited again later in the story so I will think about how to make it clearer and by possibly taking a different angle on it.
> 
> Apart from that, not much to say! Once again I'd like to express my love to all of you, and hopefully see you next week <3


	20. Entr'Acte - Forbidden Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aloha! Another week, another chapter. I don't have much to say in advance, apart from that I did some admin over the last week and sorted out that this story will end up being roughly 40 chapters. Which means we're halfway there!
> 
> Once again, thank you all for your support and I hope you'll enjoy!

"Another excellent series of shots, Hofferson."

Astrid smiled, taking an exaggerated bow as she got off Stormfly. "Thank you, sir Hiccup. Or should I say  _chef Hiccup?_ "

Hiccup laughed, showing the adorable gap between his teeth as he started building a fire. "Don't start expecting things from my cooking. But I'm glad to know you only hang out with me because I take care of the food."

"Well, given that you weren't too content with my culinary skills, you brought it upon yourself," she countered, walking up to him after she'd given Stormfly some well-deserved love.

"Fair enough, I'd rather spend the rest of my life in the kitchen than take one more sip of your sea bass soup," he teased. "Or should I say bite?"

She socked his shoulder, making Hiccup wince in response. "And here I thought we were doing a good job being nice to each other."

"You started it," Hiccup argued, rubbing his shoulder and handing her a skewered fish to hold over the fire. She took it from him, sitting down next to him in such a way that she had a good view of the ocean in front of them.

It had been three weeks since their return from Melody Island. And things had been… good in the meantime. Great, actually. She'd continued practicing with Stormfly and the two of them were visibly getting better every day. They understood each other and had come to interpret each other's body language. She hardly had to tell Stormfly what to do anymore; shifting her body or nudging her with her feet usually did the trick. And so, they'd started with the next step: learning how to fight in the air. Hiccup helped her set up targets, which Stormfly and she would try to hit with either magnesium blasts or spines. And they were doing great, to the point that even Hiccup had stated he was impressed. Out loud.

Her situation with regard to Hiccup had improved as well. After he had told her the truth about his scars, Hiccup seemed lighter. Less burdened. And especially when he was in the air, there wasn't a hint of worry on his face. Toothless and Hiccup lit up the skies when they were flying, despite the both of them completely being covered in black. She would never admit it to Hiccup, but she often watched them. Now that she understood the mechanics behind dragon and human flying together, she couldn't help but be intrigued by how well the two of them worked in unison. Especially considering Hiccup had to control Toothless' tail. It was remarkable. They truly were each other's best friends.

But slowly, she was starting to consider them her friends as well. Not that Hiccup and she had ever officially established that, but it just felt that way. As Hiccup had relaxed around her, Toothless had started to welcome her presence as well. When Hiccup was busy making food or tinkering with one of his weapons, the dragon would usually come to her for attention instead, and she gladly gave it to him. The Night Fury was a true sweetheart.  _The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself._  Nothing could be less true. He was completely soft on the inside. The only times she'd seen him growl was when someone or something – usually her – had threatened Hiccup.

When it came to Hiccup himself, she just couldn't give him a rough time anymore. Whenever she thought back to their time in the arena and the way they'd fought, those memories were increasingly pushed away by better ones, both past and new. Because there were so many of them. All the talks they'd had in the arena, sharing their stories and exchanging their thoughts, some atmosphere of trust between them. That first flight he'd taken her on, making her feel like she was truly soaring. And everything he'd shown and told her since she'd come to Phantom Island. His stories, his enthusiasm. Him.

His incredible compassion for and knowledge about dragons. The way he talked to her and teased her almost relentlessly, but had also spoken so heartfelt when talking about his past. How he had calmed her down in the tavern at the Northern Markets, just sharing his philosophies with her instead of telling her what to do, as some people would have done. The way he could not stop talking about dragons, always gesturing wildly with his shoulders and his hands as he was telling his stories. How often he disassembled Inferno, only to put it back together for lack of something better to do with his hands. He had a tendency to do cute things like that.

Right now, he was absent-mindedly twirling Stinger around. She hadn't asked him to give her the dagger back. It belonged to him, especially after the amount of trouble and mishaps he'd gone through to make it. Each of which he'd relayed to her in detail; she often teased him with how he had accidentally used himself as a test subject – on multiple occasions.

His auburn hair shone brightly in the sun, streaks of copper lighting up in it. With the sun on his face like this, his scars almost seemed to disappear. Not that she minded them. She had never been afraid of people showing their scars – it was uncommon around Berk not to have any at all. But now that she knew the story behind them, they were as much a part of him as the rest of his appearance. It was a constant reminder to both of them of what had happened to him. And she couldn't allow herself to ever forget the hurt he'd gone through. It put his life in perspective.

The one memory that kept coming back to her however, annoyingly often, was the one of that night in the arena. On one sunny afternoon, Hiccup soaring past her on Toothless and pulling up his visor to cheekily smile at her, she had allowed herself to reimagine it. To think about what it would have been like, had they not been shrouded in darkness. What had Hiccup's face looked like when she had put her hand on his cheek, so close to uncovering his scars? In what way had his eyes searched for her in the darkness when he told her that she was the only thing about Berk he did not hate? Had there been a hint of insecurity on his face before he'd pressed his lips to hers, him slightly frowning as he often did when he focused on something? And she could only imagine the way his long lashes had fluttered close as their kisses had grown hotter, the two of them embracing each other…

"Astrid," Hiccup called. His voice startled her and she realized she'd been staring off into the distance, although Hiccup had been in her field of view. As he always was. She liked watching him.

He smiled softly, looking upward and pointing in the same direction. "Look."

She followed his gaze and found the blue sky above them completely filled with dragons. It was occupied by a flock of Monstrous Nightmares, at least twenty of them. One of them was flying ahead, followed by the others as they dove into Phantom Island's volcano. Hiccup practically jumped up, getting up on Toothless and she followed suit, the two of them diving into the volcano after them.

They landed on the lake's shore, taking in the cavern around them. She'd thought it to be filled to the brim with dragons before, but their number had certainly doubled over the past weeks. "I surely do hope these are the last ones," she told Hiccup as he looked around with as much joy in his eyes as her.

"Should be, if last year was any indication," Hiccup nodded. "Breeding season is as good as over so I can't imagine any more groups of dragons will migrate back here anytime soon. It does seem like there are a lot more of them this year though."

"Looks like they think you're a good host," she smiled.

"Guess I don't have much competition then, considering I'm not even around much outside of winter." Hiccup wandered around for a bit, taking in the space around them. "Let's see if they still recognize me."

He removed his gloves, moving his fingers to his mouth and loudly whistling on them. Stormfly instantly stirred next to her, anxiously looking at Hiccup. And not much later, three more dragons landed next to them. A Monstrous Nightmare, a Hideous Zippleback and a Gronckle. The ones she'd seen the first time the Phantom had shown her his dragons back on Berk.

"Your 'lieutenants'," she smiled, observing as Hiccup kindly greeted all of them individually. "I don't think you ever told me why you call them that."

"Because I'm as bad at naming groups of dragons as I am at naming individual ones," Hiccup joked.

At one point he'd advised her not to name Stormfly's hatchlings, so she wouldn't get attached to them when they eventually separated from their mother. And she'd been glad she'd followed it, as the three of them had left a few days ago. It'd been odd to see them leave and in her opinion they weren't big enough yet, but Hiccup had reassured her they'd be fine. And that they might return at one point, after they were done exploring on their own.

"What did you name them, then?" she asked him. "Surely you're close enough to them to have actually given them names, even if it's just for convenience."

Hiccup winced slightly. "I have." She could spot him smile awkwardly before he prevented the green Zippleback's heads from starting a fight with each other. "But let's just say there's a good reason I had you rename Stormfly."

"Aw, come on, Hiccup," she pouted. "Surely they can't be that bad. And since you had me rename Stormfly, you can't be very attached to them either."

"Astrid, please let it go," Hiccup begged, turning back towards her and looking at her with big eyes.

She walked up to him, challenging him. "Not a chance, dragon boy." She smiled deviously. "So I'll leave it up to you how long you want to try to argue before you I win."

Hiccup sighed deeply, heaving his shoulders. "Fine." He closed his eyes before clenching his jaws and speaking through his teeth. " _I named them after you guys_."

"What?" she frowned at him in confusion. "After whom?"

His eyes still closed, Hiccup pointed at the Monstrous Nightmare behind him with one of his thumbs. "That's Snotlout." He flicked his other thumb towards the Gronckle. "Fishlegs. I should point out I didn't find out she was a girl until  _much_  later." Then, he flung both of his hands in the air in awfully dramatic fashion, pointing two fingers at the Zippleback. "And those two muttonheads are Ruffnut and Tuffnut."

She had tried to prevent herself from chuckling as he was talking, but as soon as he was done she couldn't contain her laughter anymore. She was practically howling, Hiccup slowly prying open his eyes as she doubled over.

"That's –" She had trouble breathing and laughing at the same time. "– absolutely ridiculous!"

Hiccup pouted, unamused. "I liked the sense of irony about it at the time."

"You're such a dork!" she howled.

"Hey, you have to admit the resemblance is uncanny," Hiccup told her, seemingly giving up his stoicism and chuckling as well.

Looking at the dragons, she could certainly see that. From what she'd seen, the Monstrous Nightmare seemed annoying, the Zippleback's heads were complete idiots and the Gronckle might as well have been Fishlegs' female counterpart, given her calm demeanour.

"Wait," she realized, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "Does that mean that Stormfly's name used to be…?"

Hiccup gave her an awkward smile.

"Oh my Thor." She was in shambles once again. "You called her Astrid! That's why you insisted I trained with her!" She shook her head, smiling widely at him. "You're so silly."

"You have to admit I'm quite the matchmaker," Hiccup pointed out. "You adore that dragon."

"Can't argue with that," she conceded, lovingly hugging the Nadder. "We're perfect together." And somehow, Hiccup had already seen that a long time ago.

"Even when you just came back to the Archipelago, you hadn't forgotten about us," she realized, her laughter dying out.

"It was quite weird for me to see you guys again when I came to free those dragons," Hiccup shared. "As adults, I mean."

"Imagine how I felt when I first saw you," she teased. She saw Hiccup's eyebrows crease as she unintentionally brought back the memories of that morning.

"First impressions aren't everything though," she added, which softened Hiccup's expression. He hadn't shown that side of him at all since she'd come here. And she'd started to believe that indeed, that hadn't really been him. Just a front he put up.

"But I agree, 'lieutenants' seems a bit overdramatic," she continued, changing the subject back to avoid further awkwardness. "I mean, it's not like this disorganized mess of dragons even closely resembles an army."

Her eyes went wide as she listened to herself talk. "Hiccup," she called for his attention. "Do you remember what we talked about, with regard to killing the Red Death?" They had gone over the subject several times, Hiccup open to answering the questions she'd had.

"What part exactly?" he frowned. He never liked talking about this, but he knew they had to.

"We concluded that there are basically two ways to kill her, right?" she continued.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed. "Either fire a blast straight down her throat as she's preparing to fire. Which will light her own gas and burn her, as dragons aren't fireproof from the inside."

"But that would be a one in a million opportunity, given how low the odds are of one of us pulling it off," she recapped.

"Or rip her apart piece by piece until her heart stops on its own, or until we're able to reach it and make it stop," Hiccup added.

"Which will take an incredibly long time, judging by your description of her," she completed. He'd shown her his drawings of the Red Death. She was humongous. "So either way, you need more manpower. To increase the odds or to divide the amount of work." Her eyes lit up. "It's a siege. So you need an army."

"Astrid, we've been over this," Hiccup objected. "Asking Berk for help will cause more trouble than it will relieve."

She shook her head. "I'm not talking about Berk." She put her hands up in the air, gesturing to the cavern around them. "I'm talking about the dragons."

Hiccup frowned. "I'm not putting all of these dragons at risk by taking them back to be killed by the tyrant I freed them from."

"They don't have to be in any danger," she elaborated. "Just having them there to distract and confuse her, to fire additional shots. Either to tear her apart or to create an opening. They've been away from her for long enough not to listen to her anymore, right? So have them listen to us instead."

Hiccup crossed his arms, seemingly sceptical but listening to her nevertheless. "And how do you propose we organise that? We don't have an alpha dragon and training each of these dragons individually would take years."

"You don't have to," she smiled. "You told me you've been studying the flocks of dragons that have been migrating back here over the past few weeks, right? And that they always fly in formation, seemingly led by one or multiple dragons?"

"Yeah, Snotlout was actually leading the Monstrous Nightmares that returned today," Hiccup agreed.

"So we don't have to train all of them," she continued. "We just have to train whoever leads their flock."

"And the rest will follow," Hiccup completed. He looked at her, his eyes lighting up. "Astrid, you're a genius."

He fiddled with his armour, getting the little black sketchbook he always carried around in one of the compartments, along with a charcoal pencil. Getting down on his knees, looking for one of the few remaining empty pages, he started to scribble, occasionally biting down on the rear end of his pencil. "We know Snotlout has some commanding presence with the Nightmares, and as far as I can decipher Zippleback behaviour, Ruff and Tuff don't seem too bad," he summarised out loud. It still felt weird that Hiccup was using the names of people she knew to refer to the dragons, but he was right, it did seem fitting. And easy to remember.

"Gronckles seem to be pretty communal beings either way, and with Nadders it's all about respect," Hiccup continued. "Which I'm pretty sure Stormfly either already has or could easily get, given how strong she is."

He leant back, looking at the names he'd scribbled down, encircling them. "This could work… Start by training the ones that already listen, and hope the others follow them. A hierarchy, just like in a real army. I just –" He paused, gazing at the cavern walls. "I just don't know where I'm going to find the time. I mean, I have to get back to the Viking islands in a few days at most…"

"Should have picked an evil lair closer to Berk, then," she teased.

Hiccup had told her how he usually spent his days during the other seasons of the year. Phantom Island was at least six hours away from Berk, even on Toothless, and some of the other Viking-inhabited islands were even further away. Which is why he usually wasn't around the volcano a lot. Instead, he just camped somewhere closer to Berk, patrolling at night to keep an eye out for possible raids. He only returned to Phantom Island just after them, when he could be sure he wasn't needed for a few nights.

"Well, given that my first plan was to just drag as many dragons away from her area of influence as I possibly could, hoping she'd starve, this place did the job," Hiccup murmured. "Relocating everyone would be impossible at this point. I wouldn't even know where to go, this place is pretty much perfect for dragons. The only other island I could think of is Berk, but that's never going to happen."

"Then let me do it," she told him.

"What?" Hiccup frowned.

She knelt down opposite of him, catching his eyes in hers. "Let me train the dragons."

"Astrid, you've only just trained Stormfly, I don't see how you could –" Hiccup objected.

"Have you ever trained a group of dragons all at once?" she interrupted him.

"No, just one-on-one," he admitted.

"Then you're as new to this as I am. And I have time, while you don't," she pointed out. Up until now, they hadn't addressed the Gronckle in the room; what was to become of her when Hiccup went back to haunt the Archipelago? Joining him in spooking the Viking islands didn't feel right, along with the fact that it would be very difficult for her to stay hidden, given that she rode a very vibrantly coloured dragon. But she didn't want to fight him either. Instead, this could be what she could do. "Besides, I led drills on Berk all the time. And Vikings are way more stubborn than dragons."

Hiccup seemed to deliberate in his head for a minute, going over his options. "Come on, Hiccup," she attempted. "At least let me try, and I'll bring you up to speed whenever you're around."

She watched Hiccup bite down on his lower lip, struggling. "I know you're afraid of handing over control to anyone else, but you have to trust me on this," she told him, sternly.

"Astrid –" he started, his face doubtful.

She looked into his green eyes, determined. "You said it yourself. If we don't manage to trust each other, we'll never work together."

He gazed back at her, a sign of insecurity in his eyes. "But do you trust me?"

There was no easy answer to that question. "I'm starting to," she told him. "You've had so many chances to stab me in the back since I came here. To shoot me off Stormfly, to let me get captured in the Northern Markets or eaten by a Death Song. But you never betrayed me." She looked down. "Instead, you've been helping me this past month, teaching me how to fly and how to fight. So it's hard for me to believe you still have bad intentions, or that this is some elaborate ploy."

She sunk her teeth into her lower lip, frowning slightly. "But I've seen with my own eyes how bad you can be, and I still see hints of that when you're talking about Berk or people in general. And you know I have very mixed feelings about your attitude towards them. I just can't fully stand behind the things you're doing, even though I understand why you do them. So I can't join you in doing whatever the Phantom does, but I won't fight you either."

She sighed. "I  _can't_ fight you. Not anymore. The guy you've been for the past month, I want to believe that he's Hiccup. That the Phantom is just a front you put up to scare people and to protect yourself from your clearly miserable past, which I think you still haven't told me everything about." She looked at her hands, which were resting on her knees. "But if you're willing to let me do this, to give me that trust… Then I think I can give you mine as well."

She looked back up at him, finding his eyes fixated on her, soft and weak. It made her pulse quicken and she could hear her heart beat in her ears. He'd started to have that effect a lot on her in the past weeks.

They just stayed like that for a moment, until Hiccup finally spoke. "If there's anyone I could trust with this, it's you. You're with me in this, after all."

She smiled at him, relieved, which he quickly mirrored. She reached for his sketchbook still on the floor, intending to give it back to him so they could get started. But instead of paper, her hand hit something warm. She looked down, finding Hiccup's hand had reached for the book as well.

Her breath hitched and her heart stopped as Hiccup put his scarred hand on top of hers. It was warm and pleasant, despite his skin being rough. His hand was bigger than hers, his long fingers slender yet masculine. For a brief moment, she considered intertwining her own with them, just to test how it would feel.

Her eyes went back up to Hiccup's face. He was staring at her, his green eyes completely melting. They were softer than she'd ever seen them, as if Hiccup had completely turned to liquid on the inside. It was mesmerizing. He was mesmerizing.

She watched, frozen in time as Hiccup slowly leant forward, closing the distance between them. His eyelids closed slightly, a hint of focus on his face.  _This_  is what he had looked like right before he had kissed her.

She panicked at that realization, her eyes focusing on his thin lips. She couldn't, right? They couldn't, they weren't – somewhere inside she wanted to, but?

Unable to make a decision, she backed away, hastily grabbing Hiccup's sketchbook from the ground and pressing it to his chest. She couldn't look at him, facing sideward instead as her cheeks grew hot.

"Let's get started then," she attempted as she got back to her feet, although she couldn't imagine Hiccup had missed the way her voice was trembling.

When she had the courage to sneak a look at him, she found him still sitting on his knees and holding his sketchbook to his chest where she left it. He looked slightly bewildered. As he caught her gaze, he cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck as he got back up to his feet. "Yeah, let's do that… I – uh – suppose we'll get started by getting you on good terms with my other lieutenants."

* * *

"So is there anything we still need to go over?" Hiccup asked as he mounted Toothless, making himself comfortable in the Night Fury's saddle. "Food, or –"

"No, Hiccup," she smiled, shaking her head and crossing her arms. "I'll be fine. I've got Stormfly." She lovingly caressed the dragon's horn. Stormfly gawked, giving her approval and tenderly looking from Hiccup to her.

"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked again, creasing his eyebrows and looking down at her from Toothless. She could see the Night Fury restlessly wag its tail, seemingly finding Hiccup's concern as unnecessary as she did. It was kind of endearing, though.

" _Yes_." She rolled her eyes. "I'm no damsel in distress, remember. I can look after myself." She gestured to the three other dragons flanking her. His lieutenants. "Besides, I've got a job to do too."

Hiccup smiled fondly. "You're right. And they seem to like you, at least."

He was right about that. They had spent the past two days training with them. He had taught her what he'd already taught them, so she had a baseline to start with. And despite her being close to a complete stranger to the three dragons, they'd started to listen to her quite quickly. Although some certainly seemed to be easier to work with than others.

"I still can't stand Snotlout though," she chuckled.

"Are we talking dragon or Viking?" Hiccup laughed.

She rolled her eyes. "Both. But I was talking about the dragon this time."

"Well, you're going to have to find some way to get along," Hiccup teased. "I expect great results after all. No slacking while I'm gone."

She stuck her tongue out at him. She didn't exactly know how she was going to go about training the dragons, but she'd have enough time to figure it out with Hiccup gone. And she was very much looking forward to it. It finally allowed her to be more in charge of her mission.

"I'll get him in line, don't worry," she reassured him. "I can manage Viking Snotlout too, after all."

"There's not a doubt in my mind you'll manage," Hiccup teased. "If anything, I'm more concerned for Snotlout."

She chuckled, giving Fishlegs some well-earned pats as the Gronckle waddled up next to her. "Don't worry. I won't hurt your dragons."

"I know," Hiccup smiled, his eyes lighting up in the sun. "I wouldn't leave you alone with them otherwise. I trust you."

"Thanks, Hiccup," she told him, genuinely. After everything that had happened between them, she couldn't deny that receiving his trust in this meant a lot to her. It was a big step forward. For both of them.

She watched as Hiccup moved his feet into Toothless' stirrups, comfortably leaning forward and looking at the horizon. It reminded her of the first time she'd seen him on Toothless, back in the cove on Berk. He still had that same grace over him, this ease with which he flew. And he was about to fly back to the place where they'd known each other for so many years. Fifteen years in which she'd never even noticed who he was beyond clumsy, little Hiccup. Who he could be. But at least she now knew who he had become.

"Hiccup," she softly called, reaching out and grabbing his hand to get his attention, the touch more intimate than she'd intended. Something had been on her mind, and she needed to deal with it before he left. Hiccup looked at her, his eyes questioning.

"Is there really no other way to do this? You know, protecting the dragons?"

The look in Hiccup's eyes turned colder. "I'm sure there are other ways. But this way works. And I'm not going to start doing it differently."

"Then I need you to do something for me," she told him.

Hiccup frowned. "And what would that be?"

"Please keep Berk intact," she pleaded.

"Astrid, I –" Hiccup started.

"I know, you can't let the dragons die, and you shouldn't. I don't want that to happen either," she reassured him.

She took a deep breath before continuing. "But please try to keep the destruction to a minimum. Bringing down watch towers with Monstrous Nightmare gel –" She had prodded him to tell her how he'd pulled that off, given that they were made out of stone. "– and sabotaging weaponry is something I can understand, but I can't be okay with people losing their homes and livelihoods." She needed to ask this of him, in order for her to really be able to stay behind and focus on her task. To allow her to sort of accept him being away and doing the things he did. Even if it could cause conflict between them.

But Hiccup didn't lash out at her. Like he hadn't for weeks. Nor did his gaze turn colder. Instead, he just grabbed her hand, holding it firmly.

"I already stopped doing that when we were working together," he calmly answered. "And I will continue to do so."

She smiled, squeezing his hand. "Thank you."

The corners of his mouth went up, and for just a moment she found herself lost in that smile, until Hiccup turned his gaze away. "I guess I should get going," he coughed.

He pulled his hand away from her, and for a moment she felt like reaching back out to him, the realization that she wouldn't see him again for days taking her by surprise. But she couldn't let herself be influenced by that. It made no sense. She wouldn't miss him, right? And she shouldn't feel the need to fly after him and keep tabs on him either. That'd just take time they didn't have.

She stepped away from him, resisting the urge to pull him back off Toothless. "Good luck, Hiccup."

The smile on his face gave her every bit of reassurance she needed. "See you soon, Astrid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry and at the same time not sorry at all for the almost-kiss.
> 
> I've made some assumptions about the Red Death in this chapter, so I'll list them just to be sure there'll be no confusion:  
> \- Unlike with the Bewilderbeast, we see in HTTYD1 that the Red Death does not instantly take control of the dragons that come close to her. Toothless and the others seem fairly unaffected as they fight her, and her drone dragons fly away as soon as they can. So my thoughts are that the control of the Red Death relies on keeping the dragons around her consistently, which is why Hiccup has drawn some many dragons away from her and taken them to Phatnom Island, essentially freeing them in that sense.  
> \- Hiccup's shot, blowing up the Red Death, in HTTYD1 was one in a million. It relied on the right circumstance appearing at the right time and although it's incredible he pulled it off, I don't think it was a plan he made in advance; he did it because there was no other way, and he just wanted to save his people. Which is why in this story, Hiccup and Astrid acknowledge the possibility of killing her by firing down her throat, but won't go into battle with that as their only plan, as it could fail very easily.
> 
> See you guys next week!


	21. Entr'Acte - Dragon Racing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again! After the almost kiss of last week, here's… Well, I'm not telling you, that's what the chapter itself is for ;)

Astrid's days around Phantom Island went by in a flash. But not as quickly as they did when Hiccup was there. Because no matter how hard she tried to enjoy herself, she couldn't ignore the feeling that something was… missing.

But she wasn't letting herself be slowed down by sentiments and quickly managed to get into her own, Hiccup-less rhythm. She'd wake up as soon as the sun fell through the volcano's mouth, and even if she didn't, Stormfly would wake her. Even though the Nadder could fly on her own just fine, she always insisted Astrid went with her. And she was quite determined, too. Stormfly would pull on her braid or nudge her with her horn until she unwrapped herself from her blankets and got in her saddle. She figured that maybe, the dragon was still dealing with the absence of her hatchlings, and was making up for it by treating her human as one. Not that she minded. She loved the dragon to death.

Her mornings consisted of practicing with Stormfly, perfecting the things they'd done before and trying new moves and spins whenever they could. They'd 'go fishing' somewhere before midday, making sure to rake in enough food – and rocks – for the two of them and the other three lieutenants. She'd found out quite quickly that food was the way to a dragon's heart, and the same was true for those three. It instantly lured them to her and got them in a good mood for afternoon practice.

She had set up her drills very similarly to how she set them up on Berk. Dragons and Vikings weren't that different after all. If anything, dragons were easier to deal with. Snotlout would fire stray blasts from time to time, and Ruff & Tuff left behind more useless explosions than useful ones, but a few well-aimed spines from Stormfly in their direction usually got them back in line. Right now, they were mostly practicing flying in formation, having the other dragons follow her and Stormfly without her having to explicitly tell them to. And Phantom Island's walls were usually littered with dragons who were watching the four of them intently, which made her confident that she could transform that interest into participation. When they were ready.

She'd finish her day by making dinner, watching the sun slowly set on the ocean before heading inside where the dragons provided her with a lot more light than the stars did. She'd take some time to take a bath in the lake – she never felt comfortable doing that for too long with Hiccup around – and had started to sew some clothes to protect her against the cold.

They were good days. They were more eventful than her days on Berk usually were. She really couldn't complain at all. But still, something was missing. And she knew exactly what it was.

She missed that speck of black in the Archipelago's sky, that dark reflection in the ocean, always circling around her. Hiccup's full, lopsided smile when they'd had a good flight. The way he told her stories during dinner, shaking his shoulders and moving his hands wildly when he got really passionate about something. How they could just silently sit on a sea stack or a stone cliff, watching the ocean in front of them. How he could make her laugh. And how incredibly comfortable she felt around him.

After spending nearly every day with him for the past weeks, her days just felt so much emptier now. She missed him. Probably more than she was willing to admit. And increasingly, her mind went back to that moment down at the lake. At which he'd almost kissed her. And a voice in the back of her head had started to wonder whether she shouldn't have taken that chance right there.

So when after one week, the air was once again pierced by a nasal voice, she felt her heart jump. "I'm here; just Hiccup."

She chuckled at the twist on his old catchphrase, nearly spraining her neck to watch him and Toothless land next to her on the ledge she was sitting on. Hiccup swung his long legs over the dragon's back, giving her a good look at his well-formed ass. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Toothless bounced over to her, eagerly nuzzling her face and licking her.

"Aww, Toothless, I missed you too!" she giggled, scratching the Night Fury behind his ears. "Or are you just here because I got food, huh?"

"Something does smell good indeed," Hiccup agreed as he took off his helmet, revealing his blinding smile. Watching him expose the gap between his teeth, how the way his lips curled up looked slightly crooked, she felt her heart contract. Internally, she scolded herself. Sure, she'd always found him attractive. But she couldn't allow things to get this bad after not seeing him for just seven days.

"Snotlout brought in a sheep," she beamed, showing the peace of meat she was holding. "Didn't even tell him to do so, he did it all on his own."

The Nightmare had caught her saying his name, and she soon found his sticky, gelly nose pressed against her cheek. Not that she wasn't spending most of her days covered in some sort of dragon liquid. She was getting used to it.

She rubbed the spot between the Nightmare's horns and Snotlout purred and curled his tail around her in response. Meanwhile, her eyes went back to Hiccup, who was looking down at her, his smile fond.

"What are you looking at?" she teased.

"It just looks so sweet," he told her before sitting down next to her and playfully poking the Nightmare's tail. "Seems like you guys started to get along better while I was gone."

"And now you're planning to ruin that again?" she joked, handing him a spare piece of sheep. She wasn't willing to admit she'd missed him.

"Glad to see you didn't lose your sass either," Hiccup threw back. He smiled widely before the next words left his mouth. " _Sasstrid_."

She looked at him, exasperated. "Really? That was the best thing you could come up with?"

Hiccup gave her a guilty smile. "Hey, you are talking to a guy named Hiccup, who couldn't come up with better dragon names than  _Toothless_ and people he knew in real life. Expecting anything from me in the name-giving department would be a grave mistake."

The corners of her mouth curled up. "At least you're self-aware about it."

They chuckled for a bit before finishing their meal, eventually making it impossible for her to continue postponing the question she had to ask. "So, how was it?"

"Nothing too special, really," Hiccup answered. "Berk was the first target of the year and it seemed to be in the same shape as usual. The raid went by without much problems. No casualties on either side. No non-tactical buildings burnt down either." He turned to look at her. "So to answer the question you were  _really_ trying to ask; Berk is fine."

She smiled softly as she met his gaze. The tender look in his eyes reassured her that he wasn't lying. "I'm glad." She paused for a moment, thinking of how to express her relief. "Thanks for telling me. Considering you hate that island," she softly added.

"That doesn't mean I'm going to hate you for asking about it," he shrugged. "You lived there for twenty years, it'd be hard for you to suddenly stop caring."

"That's surprisingly thoughtful," she commented.

Hiccup flashed her a wry smile. "Well, I told you how long it took me to get over Berk. What it cost me." He softly patted his scars with one of his gloves. "And they have been much better to you than they ever were to me."

"Thanks for understanding, Hiccup," she smiled.

"You know you're free to go back there any time you want, right? You're not my captive," Hiccup told her. It could have been a sneer, but the look in his eyes told her differently. "Just fly that way and you'll end up in Berk eventually." He pointed one of his slender arms to the southwest of them. "Even if it's just to check on some people, or…" His eyes went down towards his feet. "To check whether I'm keeping my word."

His earnestness surprised her. She shook her head. "If I go back to Berk, it won't be to check on you." Hiccup looked up again, and she smiled softly as their eyes met. "You trusted me with your dragons, so I need to learn to trust you with Berk." She shrugged, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible. "Besides, keeping tabs on you all the time will take too much time and energy. Which we don't have."

The corners of Hiccup's mouth curled up in response, revealing a smile that thoroughly warmed her heart. "Thanks, Astrid."

* * *

Hiccup had gone to bed after that, having flown straight back from Berk as he didn't want to be around there any longer than he had to. But somewhere, Astrid found herself hoping that maybe, he'd flown back that fast because he had missed her too.

It wasn't until the beginning of the next afternoon that she saw him again. She was flying low on Stormfly, just relaxing and enjoying the nice weather of the day. Hiccup and Toothless levelled out next to her, and Hiccup pulled up his visor.

"Good to see you're finally out of bed too!" she teased. Luckily, there wasn't a lot of wind today so they could actually hear each other.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Get used to it. My sleeping schedule is basically non-existent this time of year."

"Just don't blame me if you miss all the fun stuff," she pointed out, and he stuck his tongue out at her in response. They proceeded to pull faces at each other until they were both chuckling so hard that their dragons started to give each other concerned looks.

"Anyways, I've been meaning to give you something," he continued after he'd finished giggling.

"And what might that be?"

"Given I won't be around to answer your questions all the time, I figured you might want to have this." He pulled out another book from between his upper chest piece. Exactly how many of those did he carry around in there?

"What's that?" she frowned. It wasn't anything Hiccup had shown her before.

"Well, given that almost everything that's written in Berk's Book of Dragons is outright wrong, I made my own version." He gave her a lopsided smile. "I mean, even I can't remember  _every_ little detail. I spent some time editing it while I was away; you know, making it readable for people who aren't me."

"You're such a dork." She shook her head and laughed.  _Of course_  Hiccup had created his own dragon manual. It would have been unlike him not to document pretty much everything. But the accompanying fact that he had been thinking of her while he had been gone, even if it was just in the form of editing a book, made her blush. She shook it off, reaching her hand out towards him. "Alright, hand it over."

A playful smile appeared on Hiccup's face. "Come and get it."

"Hiccup –" Before she could object, Hiccup tucked the book away and prodded Toothless to beat his wings even faster, the two of them shooting off into the distance. She couldn't help but smile as well as she nudged Stormfly to speed up, giving chase.

Hiccup and Toothless were soaring close to the water surface, the tips of Toothless' wings dragging through the ocean. It was slowing them down, but she had no doubt Hiccup knew that as well; he was giving her time to catch up. Toothless was fast, but Stormfly was a formidable opponent in that sense.

Just as they closed in on them, they shot into the sea stack maze. She wasn't a stranger to it anymore, but neither was Hiccup. She let Stormfly path them through it, occasionally spotting a black blob moving between the rocks, further and further away. They shot out of the maze, Toothless and Hiccup about a few hundred feet to their right.

The black pair shot up vertically and she had Stormfly do the same, not relenting. Eventually, after putting a few thousand feet between them and the ocean surface, Hiccup and Toothless looped and turned back, coming straight at her and Stormfly. She sent the Nadder into a spin, hearing Hiccup laugh loudly as Toothless missed them by an inch. She shook her head and smiled, levelling out and deciding to lie in wait instead.

Soon enough, Toothless reappeared a few hundred feet above them, him and Hiccup having looped around once again. She nudged Stormfly to go up; Toothless seemed to be slowing down, so this was their chance to catch them. But as they got closer to the Night Fury, she saw that something wasn't right. Toothless was flying upside down. And Hiccup was nowhere to be found.

An uneasy feeling took a hold of her right then and she jerked down almost immediately, looking for a small speck of black against the background of blue. They were really high up and eventually, hundreds of feet below them, she spotted it. Hiccup was falling. He did that all the time, but Toothless always dove straight after him so they could regroup after Hiccup had had his daily dose of adrenaline. But this was a nearly uncrossable distance, even for the Night Fury.

Nevertheless, she dove, shouting at Toothless to do the same. She had to try. She had never dove as fast, Stormfly's wings drawn in and aiming the two of them down like an arrow. It made her eyes tear up and her muscles go weak, but they had to keep going. She couldn't let Hiccup die. Not because she needed him to kill the Red Death. But because she needed him for everything else. She couldn't allow their moment from over a week ago be the last chance she'd had at kissing him.

They closed in on him, with still a long way to go between Hiccup and the ocean surface. She shouted to Stormfly to catch him with her beak if she had to, but right then, he disappeared. He shot up in the air, back up past her, as if he had instantly stopped falling. She had Stormfly spread her wings, putting all of her strength into slowing the two of them down from the incredible speed they'd been diving at.

They levelled out as well as they could and as she looked above her, she saw Hiccup. His arms were spread out to his sides, and there was black fabric connecting them to the lower parts of his legs. He had wings, and he was currently soaring through the sky above them.

She gaped as Toothless finally levelled out just behind Hiccup. They were flying. Both of them, individually. She wouldn't have ever thought it possible.

As she guided Stormfly closer to them, she noticed that it wasn't really  _flying_. More like soaring. Both of them were slowly losing altitude, seemingly locked in that position. She flew after them, some of Hiccup's muffled screams reaching her ears. Screams of excitement. They continued like that for a while, until Hiccup eventually signalled something to Toothless. The dragon responded by levelling out beneath Hiccup and the two of them reconnected before landing on a stray sea stack.

She landed next to them, Hiccup pulling up his visor and flashing her a triumphant smile. That's when her sense of wonder faded away and she realized what he'd just put her through.

" _Are you out of your mind!?"_  she blazed.

The victorious look on Hiccup's face instantly evaporated and he reflexively backed away.

"At  _any_ point in the past _six weeks_ , did it occur to you that it might be a good idea to tell me you can do  _that_!?" she fumed, approaching him. "I thought you were going to  _die_!"

"Calm down, Astrid, I'm fine," Hiccup tried to appease her, holding his hands up in the air to claim innocence. Then his lips curled up into a cocky smile. "Can't a guy have some secrets around here?"

" _SECRETS!?"_  she yelled, landing her fist in his stomach. "You have had  _nothing but secrets_!"

Hiccup visibly arched back due to the impact, but then started laughing as soon as he regained his breath. She proceeded to punch his shoulders, because this  _really_ wasn't funny. "You son of a half-troll, rat-eating, munge-bucket –" She interrupted her tirade as she realized what they had started chasing each other for in the first place. "Give me the book!"

"No," Hiccup laughed, swatting her away with the black leather still hanging from his arms, clearly finding the situation  _very_ amusing.

He took a few steps back but she chased after him, willing to tear it off him if she had to. "Give it up."

"Nope," Hiccup refused.

"Alright,  _fine_ ," she conceded, deciding that two could play that game. Pretending she was going for his chest once again, she used the opening to pry Hiccup's helmet off his head. Before he could react, she ran back to Stormfly, mounting her and putting the helmet on her own head. It still smelled like him. It smelled nice. "Feel free to tell me when you're willing to trade!"

"Astrid, that's not fair!" Hiccup yelled as she got into the air, but she could see a smile linger on his lips. He danced around awkwardly in his leather wings, seemingly trying to wrap them back into whatever part of his armour they'd come out of. Now that she thought back to it, she had seen leather straps on it before. Gods, he was such a trickster.

"Time to see how fast you really are!" she teased, moving Hiccup's visor down and nudging Stormfly to increase their speed. They shot away from the sea stack, flying straight ahead to gain as much distance as possible.

It didn't take long before she heard the beating of a Night Fury's wings, along with the high-pitched sound of one flying at top speed. She looked behind her, but didn't spot them. That means they were –

"Afternoon, milady," a nasal voice teased.

She looked up, finding Hiccup and Toothless flying upside down above her and Stormfly. Hiccup shot her an arrogant smile before he pulled his helmet straight off her head. "Game over, Astrid."

The pair of Night Fury and rider spun back around, getting higher into the sky. She sent Stormfly after them, not willing to surrender just yet. Toothless seemed to be flying more relaxed, Hiccup seemingly convinced they'd won, so they levelled out just above and in front of them. She softly patted Stormfly's neck as she pulled up her own feet. Every time she'd seen Hiccup jump, there had been something she wanted to try herself. And this was her chance.

After making sure Stormfly was stable and relaxed, she sat up on her knees. Then she got up to her feet, spreading her arms to maintain her balance. Hiccup and Toothless were below them, just slightly behind, and seemingly hadn't been bothered by their presence yet. Only now did Hiccup look up at them and she could see his eyes grow larger as he realized what she was about to do. So without any hesitation, she jumped.

After a brief journey through the air, she landed right where she'd planned to, on Toothless' back. Her landing was a bit uneasy and she struggled to maintain her balance for a second, her arms flailing around, but then she had it. Hiccup's head was almost completely turned around and she could only imagine him gaping from behind his visor.

She smiled at him, triumphantly sitting down on Toothless' back with her legs crossed. She leant forward, pulling the helmet off Hiccup's head once more. "How are you going to get away now, huh?"

Hiccup locked the Night Fury's tail and turned around to face her, swinging his long legs over Toothless' body. "I think surrender might be my best option," he smiled. "Before you get overconfident and jump to your death."

She had become confident, yes. Flying was great and as with everything she loved, she was training hard to become great at it. But that wasn't why she hadn't been scared to pull off a move like that. "Stormfly would've caught me if it went wrong," she countered. "Or you. It's all about trust, after all."

Hiccup's lips curled up as the sun hit his face just perfectly, lighting up his presence. "I'm really glad you're here, Astrid."

She couldn't help but fully smile back at him as he looked at her like that. His green eyes were soft, his face overjoyed. He wasn't the Phantom. He was truly, completely Hiccup. "I don't really mind being here either," she told him honestly.

She looked at the helmet in her hands and at the face in front of her. So much had changed since she'd first pulled it off his face. They had been good, then they'd gone to really bad, and now they were even better than they had been before. She wasn't in love with him, but she couldn't keep herself from thinking back to what had gone through her head when she'd seen him fall just now. That if she'd lost him right then, she would have regretted not kissing him forever.

As she looked at Hiccup, at his scars, how just half of his face was still covered in freckles, his one bushy eyebrow, his beautifully messed up hair and his blinding smile, she could no longer think of a reason to hesitate. What was she waiting for? They'd done it before. When they had barely known each other. And that had felt  _so_  good.

Ever since that one night nearly two and a half months ago, on which he'd made her fear for her life, he hadn't  _really_ done anything to her. He had been difficult, he had been a pain, but he had also shown her who he really was. Had told her his stories and through it, shown his soul. He'd shown her Hiccup. And she enjoyed every second she spent with him. She missed him when he wasn't around. And  _gods_ , she was incredibly attracted to him.

Her eyes went to his helmet one more time, and then to the Nadder who had levelled out next to them. "Stormfly, fetch!"

She sat up on her knees and flung it towards her dragon, who caught it with ease. Hiccup's eyes followed it and she could see he was about to protest. But she wasn't going to give him the chance to open his smart mouth. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck, and the expression in his eyes changed as he looked up at her in surprise. Then, she kissed him.

Time seemed to slow down. She closed her eyes, and she felt everything. The wind on her skin and in her bangs, probably making her look more flushed than she had intended to be. But above all, she felt  _him_. The shape of his soft and thin lips, the heat of his skin beneath her hands. And then, after a few long, heart-wrenching seconds, she felt him angle his head, locking his lips with hers. Hiccup's arms wrapped around her waist and he slightly pushed back towards her, leaning into her touch.  _Thank Thor,_ he was kissing her back. It was soft, intense and sweet all at the same time. It was liberating.

They separated after what felt like forever, but forever still didn't seem like long enough. She looked at him and the way in which he gazed back at her made her struggle to control her already rapidly beating heart. The look in his eyes said nothing else but utter devotion and admiration. She didn't know what he saw when he looked into hers, so she searched for another way to return it. She had never been good with words, and she believed actions could say much more.

She lifted her right hand, but changed her mind and switched to her left instead. Slowly but surely, she laid it on his cheek. His skin felt rough but also pleasantly warm beneath her cold fingers. She traced the lines of his scars with one of them, just taking in how handsome he looked right then. His hair being ruffled by the wind, his eyes slowly closing as he leant into her touch. No longer able to endure how gorgeous he looked, she kissed him once again.

Hiccup responded instantly this time, moaning slightly as he returned the kiss. His hands wandered from her waist to her lower back and he softly tugged, pulling her closer. It forced her on her behind, letting her legs hang on either side of Toothless. She buried her hands in Hiccup's hair, eagerly holding on to gorgeous auburn as she softly bit into his lower lip, letting him know just how much she was enjoying this.

Hiccup groaned, the sound alone enough to set her on edge as his hands wandered to her thighs. He lifted her legs, yanking her even closer. She yelped, wrapping her legs around Hiccup's hips and her arms around his back. His slender arms were instantly around her, securing her, and they just leant their foreheads against each other, laughing. They were likely the first people ever to kiss on the back of a flying Night Fury. No one could blame them for being slightly clumsy.

After they'd finished chuckling, she just looked at him, finding the same joy reflected in his emerald eyes. Before she could make another move, Hiccup pulled her against him, holding her firmly as his lips came down on hers again. It was a harder, rougher kiss and she cherished every second of it. One of her hands went to the nape of his neck, back into his hair and she pulled on it, which got her a deliciously deep and hungry grunt from Hiccup in response.

He kissed her even harder, making her lick his lips in search of his tongue. He quickly obliged, returning that amazing feeling she'd had to miss since that night in the arena. Only now did she truly realise how much she'd longed for it, their bodies against each other, the two of them gasping for air in between kisses. It felt right.  _Gods_ , it felt so extremely right.

She was practically clawing at his neck, finding too little skin to touch. From multiple perspectives, their current situation – flying, on the back of a dragon, fully dressed, the wind colouring both of their cheeks even redder – was extremely impractical. Now that she had him, she couldn't get enough of him. She could hardly even remember why she'd hesitated in the first place as she kept stealing kisses for him without any intention of slowing down.

Hiccup seemed to share her lust, his hands settling on her waist just roughly enough. He drew his lips away from hers, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth instead. Before she could catch him again, he started trailing kisses down her neck as he slowly pushed her down onto her back, leaning over her and using his weight to keep them stable. As they shifted, she could feel Hiccup's groin against hers and was both surprised and enticed by how obviously excited he was, to the point that she could clearly feel his arousal through his flight suit.

That was also however the moment at which her back pressed down onto Toothless' back fins. And coincidentally, that's when the dragon decided he'd had enough of being Hiccup's literal wingman. He flapped his wings and moved around a few times, which was enough to throw Hiccup and her off-balance. Hiccup pulled her back up, chuckling loudly as she quickly stabilised herself. He kissed her once more, and then let her go with a slightly sulking look on his face before he turned around and unlocked the Night Fury's tail.

"Sorry, bud, I got carried away," she could hear him say. His voice was hoarse and filled her stomach with butterflies. She wrapped her arms around him, not willing to let go of the warmth of his body against hers quite yet. As Hiccup sent them into descent, she pressed her lips against his ear, burying her nose in his hair and just enjoying his scent. It was intoxicating.  _He_ was intoxicating.

They made their way down onto a larger sea stack, although she hadn't seen this particular one before. She honestly had no idea where they were, having drifted pretty far away from Phantom Island. But given that they'd pretty much flown in a straight line, finding their way back probably wouldn't be that difficult.

She got off Toothless before Hiccup did and as she looked at him she really hoped her cheeks weren't as red as his. He turned to Toothless, playfully poking the Night Fury. "You okay, bud? Great job gliding on your own."

Toothless looked away from him, grumbling in a displeased manner.

"Oh, come on Toothless, I already said I'm sorry," Hiccup pouted as he toyed around with the Night Fury's ears. But Toothless seemed unimpressed and didn't move at all in response. "Or are you jealous that I was kissing such a pretty girl?"

If her cheeks hadn't been red before, they were now. "You think I'm pretty?" she asked, her voice just not willing to come out right.

Hiccup looked up at her. "My staring wasn't obvious enough?"

Nope, she had been too busy staring at him herself to even notice. She bit her lip, briefly averting her gaze. "You're cute too."

There was a hint of insecurity on Hiccup's face. "Even despite…?" He raised one of his hands to his scars.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Yes."

Hiccup's smile widened as he turned back to Toothless, who was still looking unsatisfied. "Well, Toothless doesn't seem to think those are valid excuses."

She chuckled, walking up to the dragon and looking into its green eyes. "I'm sorry, Toothless," she told him, scratching just behind his ears which she knew he liked. "I can be your girl too?" She knelt down, pressing her lips against the Night Fury's skull. Toothless looked at her, his eyes slightly softening.

She pouted. "Do you forgive us?"

Toothless gave a warble which she couldn't really call approval, but he also didn't seem set on reprimanding the two of them any further. Instead, he turned to Stormfly, who had landed shortly after them, having loyally followed them all the way here. She had carried Hiccup's helmet along as well, and was now playing with it. Toothless joined her, the two of them chasing each other around the sea stack with it.

"We probably need to get that back from them," she giggled, sitting down and watching the dragons.

"It can wait," Hiccup reassured her, settling down next to her. He turned his head towards her, smiling. "I don't need it around you."

She felt her insides melt right then. He surely had a way with words.

"So are you…?" he followed up. She frowned, to which Hiccup added: "My girl?"

She blushed and looked away. He always turned her words around to haunt her. "Let's not make things more complicated than they already are by talking about it," she shrugged. "We've got enough going on."

"Can't say I disagree with that," Hiccup mumbled.

She looked back at him, her eyes wandering down from his gorgeous eyes to his slightly swollen lips, a result of their aerial make-out session. Something primal growled in her stomach as she watched Hiccup do the same.

He cleared his throat, grinning awkwardly. "But would it be alright if I kissed you again?"

She gave him a confident smile back. "You better."

Hiccup's eyes instantly shone brighter and he started to pull his gloves from his hands, tossing them aside. "Then I guess I don't need these either."

She couldn't help but happily gaze back at him as he put his scarred hand on her cheek. He swept her bangs out of her face with the other, pulling her closer and kissing her forehead, sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. She wrapped her hands around his neck and he kissed her, the two of them joined together once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY. KISSED. *screams like a teenager at a Justin Bieber concert*
> 
> Finally. Their first make-out session was in chapter 10. This is chapter 21. I did not intend for things to get this lengthy when I started writing this story, and I moved this moment forward in time many times already, but gods, am I happy to be here.
> 
> Special shout-out to Toothless, the best wingman Hiccup could possibly hope for! He really is the most tragic character in this story, having had to put up with all of Hiccup's and Astrid's shit so far, and now with their horniness.


	22. Entr'Acte - Should I Know You?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your lovely reactions to last week's chapter! I was really nervous about posting it and seeing your enthusiasm has just made me so incredibly happy. 
> 
> I have also received some incredible fan-art for Phantom last week, which I would love to share with you! You can find it either on my tumblr (aleteia-ff) under my page dedicated to the Phantom of the Arena or on the Tumblr of the artist, wee-tiny, themselves!

They spent the rest of the day like that, kissing each other until they eventually had to find their way back to Phantom Island, along with getting themselves and their dragons some food. It took them until far in the evening to separate, both of them chastely heading to their own beds.

Astrid wondered how things would be the next day, but they quickly managed to figure that out, as they were practically in each other's arms again the moment they touched down from their habitual morning flight. The result of months of build-up lust, both consciously and subconsciously. She had always felt some sort of attraction, mentally, to the Phantom, which had gotten even stronger when he was completed by Hiccup. He had shown her how bright he could shine when he wasn't burdened by the weight of the world and his past. And that, combined with Hiccup's natural handsomeness, was intoxicating to her. Especially now that she'd finally given into it.

The time had come for Hiccup to leave for Berk and the other Viking islands again however, which neither of them was looking forward to. He had given her his Book of Dragons, but she hadn't taken the time to look at it at all. She'd had more pressing matters on her mind. Or on her lips, more like.

Right now, Hiccup was dragging her along with his lips as he made his way to Toothless, both of them seemingly set on prolonging the moments they had together until they really ran out of time.

"Why – do we – only start – doing these things – right before I – have to leave?" Hiccup panted in between kisses. His lips were swollen and she was pretty sure hers were too, but she didn't mind. It was worth it.

She gave him a scolding frown. "Do you really want to discuss that right now?"

He shook his head, dragging her towards him once more. "No, I think I'm good."

Just as they were about to continue making out, Hiccup winced, rubbing his head. Toothless was standing behind him, clearly having flicked him with one of his ears. "Alright, bud, message received," Hiccup sulked. "For a  _Night_  Fury, you're pretty insistent on leaving before sunset."

She chuckled as he got onto Toothless, giving her another good look at his long legs and gorgeous ass. He looked back at her as he made himself comfortable on the dragon's back. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

She scoffed. "Are you really going to ask me that every time you're leaving? Once again Hiccup, I can look after myself."

Hiccup smiled, his face determined. "Yes. Blast me out of the sky for caring if you want to."

_Gods_ , could he be any sweeter? She watched as Hiccup readied himself to take off, but she wasn't going to let him get away that easily. She got up on her toes and grabbed his collar, pulling him down to her and kissing him once more, long and soft. It left both of them slightly trembling as they separated.

She stepped away from him, trying her best to control her breath and rapidly beating heart. "Have a safe flight."

He looked at her, his eyes slightly bewildered before he managed to focus them again. His lips curled up, a lopsided smirk appearing on his face. "You too."

* * *

Berk had only been raided once so far, which had likely been the first raid of the year in all of the Archipelago. They never knew exactly when it would happen, but the dragons' timing had always been quite consistent in the past. So, they had been ready for the beasts to return. And were hoping those would be the only creatures they'd have to welcome back.

Stoick the Vast had overseen the preparations for the end of winter as well as he could and had been quite content with the results. They'd restocked their armoury, rebuilt watch towers and siege weaponry. But after that first raid, it had all been for nought. With the dragons, the Phantom had returned as well.

All the damage he'd done had been purely tactical; there were no repairs to be made to houses, nor funerals to arrange. But that didn't make him any less of a terrorist. His behaviour had been very similar to what he'd displayed during the final weeks of the year before, however, in which he had suddenly seemed milder. Stoick often wondered what exactly had caused his change in strategy, but he didn't think about it too much. That was likely exactly what the Phantom wanted him to do.

In the free hours he could find, Gobber and he had further explored the Phantom's tunnel system. It was incredibly vast and extensive, clearly made with the help of dragons. They still hadn't seen all of it, and it didn't help that they had agreed to erase their trails every time they visited, so the Phantom would be less likely to find out they'd been there. After all, if they found anything useful, they needed to be able to use the element of surprise. Stoick also didn't know if and how the Phantom would retaliate if he found out they'd discovered his secret. And he wasn't willing to take the chance that Astrid would be at the receiving end of his anger.

Apart from the access to the arena itself, there were several tunnels that lead to various places on the island, including the village, which they figured explained a lot about how the Phantom always went around unseen. They also found a path that went all the way up, spiralling through the mountain the Great Hall was built into and culminating in a large opening at the top of it. It wasn't visible from below, but it provided whoever stood there with a perfect overview of the village. Gobber often mused about its brilliance, but Stoick couldn't find it anything else but extremely disquieting. For all he knew, the Phantom had been watching them for years, studying their every move. And their every weakness.

But no matter how often they descended into the tunnels, they never found the Phantom himself. Nor any sign of him. He wasn't around. And the only way to catch him, would be when they could be sure he was. During the next raid.

* * *

Whereas the week Astrid had had to spend without Hiccup before had been somewhat manageable, this one proved to be outright unbearable. She missed him.  _Gods¸_  she missed him. She missed his smile, his lips on hers, the way his arms encircled her waist and pulled her close. And she didn't even really know if he missed her too.

To get rid of her worries, she'd sunk her teeth into her training drills even more. Flying in unison with Hiccup's lieutenants was pretty much going perfectly, so they had started to practice different formations. She'd started with simple V-shapes and diamond ones, only to move on to more intricate patterns later, usually involving various zig-zags. Occasionally, she'd surprise the dragons by indicating a random pattern with her hands, trying to get them to improvise. After all, they needed to be able to follow orders they hadn't completely learnt by heart. That last part was proving to be tricky, but she had faith they could succeed nevertheless. Dragons were clever enough; communication was the main issue. She didn't want to rely on anything else than voice commands and gestures, as those were usable in nearly all circumstances. So it was going to take time, but she had enough of that. Especially when Hiccup wasn't around.

From time to time, other dragons joined them too. There seemed to be one female Nightmare who was particularly close to Snotlout; his mate, probably. Zipplebacks seemed to be inherently curious and often seemed to wonder what kind of game Ruff & Tuff were participating in, only to mess it up more than she would like them to. If any of the Gronckles cared to join, they always did so with three or four of them at once, kindly buzzing along with Fishlegs. The Nadders seemed to very much stay on their own, so she'd started to make sure her and Stormfly showed off their flying skills, hoping it'd entice them to prove they could keep up. And if they were anything like Stormfly, it wouldn't take much longer until they'd bite.

Hiccup's Book of Dragons also proved to be very insightful and she usually spent her evenings going through it. She'd never been a fervent reader – that was more Fishlegs' thing – but Hiccup's notes were incredibly extensive and immediately testable in practice. Stormfly had had to pull her out from under a Hotburple as she was trying to find out if it was actually ticklish in the places Hiccup had described – judging by the way it had collapsed and nearly crushed her, it was – and had defended her from a flock of fiery Terrible Terror sneezes – the little dragons were terribly allergic to potatoes, it turned out. She was also still taking care of the Razorwhip they'd saved on Melody Island. It seemed to be able to do short flights again, but Hiccup had agreed that she should keep an eye on it to see if it could become independent again or if there were bigger issues.

All in all, she was moving along great when it came to dragons and the task at hand. And she couldn't wait to show Hiccup her progress when he got back. He had been gone for nearly ten days already, and her heart wasn't much better for it. What would it be like when he got back? They hadn't really discussed their situation at all, so she didn't know whether their outburst of lust was a temporary or permanent one. She usually wasn't one to worry about what people thought of her, but if Hiccup didn't want to kiss her again… She'd  _really_ regret that.

But at midday on the eleventh day after Hiccup's departure, a black shadow passed over her and a Night Fury and his rider landed on the ground in front of her. She almost dropped her cod out of surprise – how did he always manage to catch her when she was eating? – as Hiccup got off, removing his helmet and looking absolutely gorgeous in the process. His hair got caught in the sun, illuminating him and revealing the look in his eyes. They were dead set on her.

She jumped up to her feet. "Hey Hic–"

Her greeting was interrupted by Hiccup almost walking into her while tossing his helmet in Toothless' direction. His gloved hands settled on her cheeks and he drew her face closer to his, locking their lips with one another.

"Hiccup," she gasped as he released her, the taste of his lips still on hers. "I smell like fish."

"I don't care," Hiccup panted, his green eyes staring right through her. His voice sounded hoarse and so low it was unfair. "I live with dragons, I'm used to it."

With that, the only counterargument she could think of went out the window. She wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling herself closer to him and fully kissing him back. Their tongues intertwined and Hiccup's arms wrapped themselves around her waist, minimizing the distance between them. If this was how it was always going to be when Hiccup came back, she could get used to that.

"Speaking – of dragons," Hiccup panted between kisses. "They can go –  _gods_." He groaned as she trailed some kisses along his good cheek while he spoke and he kissed her again, hard, before continuing. "They can go save themselves. I'm not leaving again."

She laughed as he released her from another kiss, brushing aside his auburn hair and resting her hand on his scars. "You'd never do that."

"You're right," Hiccup admitted. "But I can't say I haven't at least briefly considered it."

She managed to flash him another smile before his lips crashed down onto hers again, rough and passionate. She could hear a loud moan escape her throat but didn't have time to worry about it as she felt Hiccup's hands wander down, sending pleasant sparks across her body, despite him still wearing his gloves and her being fully clothed. They settled on her hips and he slowly pushed her backwards until she felt her shoulders hit the rock wall of Phantom Island's volcano.

She yearned for him. After not seeing him for more than a week, every part of her body wanted him. If he was going to keep going like this, she didn't know how much longer she could hold on to her senses.

Hiccup pushed into her, kissing her even harder – not that she'd thought it possible – and almost crushing her with his weight, but in a good way. He nudged her legs apart, placing his thigh between hers and leaning into her. She moaned softly, having to resist the urge to slightly arch into him as he was so close to that spot which was slowly becoming more and more aroused.

With every ounce of strength she could find, she lifted her hands – which had roamed suspiciously close to his ass – and cupped Hiccup's face with them, stopping him from kissing her once more and leaning her forehead against his instead.

"Hiccup," was all she softly said.

The look in his eyes softened and she could feel him exhale loudly before he spoke. "I missed you."

There were only four words she could say in response to that, and she said them with one of the biggest smiles she'd ever had. "I missed you too."

* * *

"Alright, so; Fishlegs, Tuffnut, and of course, Snotlout."

If looks could kill, Hiccup would have been dead right then. " _Really_ , Hiccup?" Astrid pulled up an eyebrow, but the smirk on Hiccup's face was enough to make the corners of her mouth curl up as well. "You want to play "fuck, marry, kill"? I'm not sixteen!"

"Hey, I never played when I was sixteen!" Hiccup pointed out. "Dragons don't exactly grasp the concept of the game."

"Fine," she pouted, rolling her eyes. "Pulling out the sad-youth card, I see."

Hiccup gave her a lopsided smile, exaggeratingly moving his shoulders to shrug. "If it works."

She laughed and shook her head at him, sitting down to his left and crossing her legs. She'd been bringing him up to speed with regards to the dragons' training, but they took breaks often enough. Hiccup had only just returned from his third visit to the Viking islands – only the first raid had been on Berk – and their reunion had been just as, if not more, passionate than the last one.

The few days they got to spend together in between his trips were valuable to both of them. They still hadn't exchanged any words on  _what_ they were exactly, but it was clear above anything that they were happy. At least, she knew that she was, and Hiccup's everlasting smiles gave her enough clues that there was a good chance he was feeling the same way. So why would they mess that up by discussing it?

"Well, logically, I'd kill Snotlout," she started.

"As expected," Hiccup mused.

"The other two are trickier," she thought out loud, grabbing Hiccup's hand and moving it around her waist. "But I think I'd marry Tuff, so then I'd end up fucking Fishlegs."

"Really?" Hiccup took some distance from her, properly pulling up the eyebrow he didn't have. "I always thought you and Fishlegs got along better."

"Oh, we do, but I just don't know if he could handle me in the long run," she teasingly elaborated. Not like she'd ever have to make the decision for real. If she'd been interested in any boy currently living on Berk, she would have made her move ages ago. Boys no longer living on Berk, however…

"Well you are quite a handful," Hiccup chuckled. She turned her head to him, but he sealed her lips with a kiss before she could scold him. It was a long and tender one, his scarred hand cupping her cheek.  _Gods_ , he was good at this.

Not willing to let him get away with his comment however, she broke away from it, teasingly continuing as she watched Hiccup sulk. "And Tuff would probably be into  _really_ weird stuff in the bedroom, which would keep married life interesting."

"Oh I see," Hiccup smiled. "So  _that's_ what it's all about for you." His hands moved to her hips and he swiftly flipped the two of them over, making her land on her back. He moved to sit on top of her, his hips pressing down onto hers as he leant forward. He kept himself up on his forearms as he trailed kisses along her neck until his lips were pressed against the last bit of bare skin she was showing, just around her collarbone.

"If that's the kind of thing you're after, I could make a recommendation," he continued, his hot breath slightly tickling her skin.

"Hiccup," she started, trying not to shiver too much beneath his touch. She knew he was just teasing her, but she wanted to be clear nevertheless. "We're not –" As far as they'd established, they weren't anything more than two people who found each other incredibly attractive.

He moved up to face her again, her concerned expression reflected in his gorgeous green eyes. "Don't worry," was all he said before pressing his lips to her forehead. He smirked. "I do really like your new clothes after all."

She appreciated the compliment. She'd completed them in the downtime she'd had last week, and she was quite content with it herself as well. She'd used her fur mantle, along with some other warmer fabrics they'd bought at the Northern Markets. The result had been an extensive fur hood, which she could pull over her head while flying, along with a pair of long fingerless gloves that covered most of her arms, keeping them warm while flying. She'd dyed everything blue – which matched her top nicely – using a dragon scale mixture Hiccup had shown her. She'd used Stormfly's shed golden scales to mimic the dragon's pattern and although her artistic skills were limited, she was quite happy with the result. And most importantly, it kept her warm.

"And now you're getting them all dirty," she pointed out.

"Can't have that," Hiccup smirked, leaning back and pulling her along with him until she was sitting up. He moved to sit back to the left of her, leaving the scarred side of his face in her view. But she never minded that. She shouldn't prefer one side of his face over the other. And she didn't.

"So, back to the incredibly important discussion we were having," she recapped, leaning into Hiccup and fumbling around with his hair. It was just long enough for her to make little braids in it, which allowed her to keep her hands busy. And she loved how his auburn locks felt between her fingers. "Killing Snotlout would mean Ruff has to look for a new boyfriend. And although I  _really_ don't agree with her choice of men, I don't know if I could do that to her."

"Gods, don't remind me of what might be the biggest travesty on Berk," Hiccup laughed. "Snotlout and Ruffnut."

"I don't think we ever talked about them, though?" she frowned, partly because she didn't have a band with her to secure her creations in Hiccup's hair. They'd blow out as soon as he got back on Toothless. "How do you know they're together?"

"I can count the amount of times I've stumbled upon them in Berk's forest on one hand, but every time was too much," Hiccup elaborated, pretending to quiver. "I have seen things, Astrid. Terrible things."

"Were they doing it?" she asked, unable to control her curiosity.

"I don't think so." Hiccup pulled up his nose in disgust. "If they were, they were doing it wrong."

She chuckled. "I don't think either of them wants a bastard baby. Although it could improve Snotlout's claim to chiefdom if he got married and had a son, I suppose."

Hiccup frowned. "Yeah, what's the deal with that? As far as I've seen my dad is still in charge. But he's going to have to pass on the reigns sometime, right? He's turning 51 this year."

"It's complicated," she told him, not sure how far she should go into the mess that was the fate of Berk's next chief. "Father-to-son succession is always pretty straight-forward, but well…"

"As far as he knows I'm dead, so that should make things pretty simple, right? Just pass it on the guy closest to it," Hiccup shrugged. She watched his expression turn colder, as it always did when they were talking about these things.

"Apparently, to your dad it isn't. But he hardly ever mentions it. He seems to think Snotlout's not worthy of the position. I always felt like he would have liked me to do it, but as a single woman, I can't." That part of their culture had always stung her. But Berk would have never accepted it with Snotlout also around, no matter how much she was respected. So she'd shrugged it off. "He even asked me to marry Snot at one point, so he'd have someone competent at his side."

"That would've been a happy marriage," Hiccup scoffed. "I don't see what his issues with Snotlout are though. Compared to me, that is. If anything, he has to think he's more competent than I was before I vanished. My dad didn't exactly think highly of me."

"He hasn't said a bad word about you since you disappeared," she told him, because it was true. "I don't know, maybe he's just still not over it. Or holding on to some faint sliver of hope that you're not dead after all. And he wouldn't exactly be wrong."

"Well, it's good to know I could still walk back onto Berk to claim my birth right," he bit, at no one in particular. "One more reason not to go back there."

"I think your dad would always be open to talking to you, if you wanted to. It does seem like he misses you," was all she managed to say. She didn't like seeing his expression turn as dark as it was right now, Hiccup's single eyebrow creased. She took his right hand in both of hers, softly tracing the lines of his scars with her fingers. He'd developed a habit of taking off his gloves when they were together.

"He had fifteen years to talk to me," Hiccup answered, the look in his eyes completely blank. "He's had his chance. I won't come in to ruin his memory of Hiccup the dragon-killing prodigy."

She leant her head on his shoulder, hoping he'd soften up. "You really dread every minute you spend on Berk, don't you?" She still didn't quite know how to deal with that. Hiccup was incredibly skilled, smart and handsome. And she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could. But how could she ever consider them to be  _anything_ , if he resented the place she came from, the place she still wanted to protect, so badly?

"I had a few months there last year that weren't so bad," Hiccup smiled, turning his head towards her and giving her a good look at that pair of emerald eyes that'd enchanted her since she'd first seen them in the cove.

She reached up to him, resting her hand on his fractured cheek, and kissed him, softly. Most of their kisses had a tendency to be rough, passionate, lustful. But the way their lips were locked right now was simply sweet, sensitive as Hiccup's arms encircled her waist, holding her with care. When they were like this, it didn't seem to matter. The scars Hiccup carried in his soul, and their conflicting feelings about Berk. This feeling went beyond that.

"Then just fly back here as soon as you can," she whispered, hugging him after they'd separated. She fit in his arms so perfectly it was almost unfair.

"I will," he reassured her, holding her tight.

"Now that we're on the subject, though…" she murmured against his shoulder. "There's one thing I can't quite shake."

"Which is?"

"We know someone's from Berk reported me as missing, right? Your dad, he…" She could almost feel Hiccup tense up at the mention of his father. "He looked for you all winter when you went missing. I'm wondering, if maybe…"

"Your parents are out there looking for you," Hiccup softly completed.

"Yeah," she nodded against his shoulder. "If something happened to them, I –"

Hiccup released her before she could finish her sentence, unwrapping his hands from around her waist and putting them on her shoulders instead. His green eyes stared into hers, the hardness in them slowly fading as he took her in. "I'll keep an eye out for them, okay?"

She smiled back at him, pressing her lips to his once more. "Thank you."

The tenderness with which he kissed her back once again strengthened her confidence in the one thing she knew for sure. Hiccup might not care for Berk, but he at least slightly cared for her. And for now, that was all she needed.

* * *

For about a month, Berk had been spared from any raids. But tonight, the dragons were back. And Stoick the Vast wasn't there to help defend his village.

Gobber and he had talked about it for hours on end, wondering what the best course of action would be. They had somehow managed to keep their findings between the two of them, and telling the village was… questionable. As much as he liked to be open with his people, the idea of an unknown man roaming around in an intricate set of tunnels underneath Berk could cause chaos. And apart from Gobber, he didn't know who to trust with that knowledge. Officially, he should have informed Spitelout, as his second-in-command, but Gobber and he were in agreement that he'd likely try to hijack the operation to let Snotlout prove himself. And without Astrid there to keep them in line, a group of distracted young adults was the last thing they needed. Especially considering Snotlout seemed to be permanently occupied by Ruffnut Thorston.

But they needed someone to try to trap the Phantom nevertheless. And both of them vanishing from the battlefield at the same time would be too obvious. So, as Stoick was usually running around the village anyways, and Gobber stayed around the forge, his own absence was probably the least likely to be questioned. So, he now found himself in the tunnels beneath Berk, a mixture of guilt and determination in his heart. If he managed to capture the Phantom now, he'd never have to deal with this again.

He patrolled them as slowly as he could, his hammer held in both of his hands, trying not to make a sound. Gobber and he had discussed the possibility of setting down traps, but had agreed that that would probably be more likely to throw the Phantom off. And more importantly, they didn't exactly have traps to spare after the Phantom had destroyed the last batch they'd made.

He also hadn't brought a lantern with them, as that'd put him at risk of exposing himself. But by now, he'd explored the tunnels often enough for him to have a good sense of where he was.

The relative silence down here was chilling, considering that he knew how much chaos there'd likely be in Berk right now. But the tunnels were fairly quiet, only the occasional blast or scream echoing through. And, besides him, it didn't seem like there was anyone there.

He considered turning back, until a sound he'd never heard before pierced the air. A voice.

"Are you really trying to catch me on my own turf? I expected better from  _the Chief of Berk_."

The words made him freeze in his tracks as he took in what exactly was happening. A Norse man with a deep, almost too Viking-like voice, was talking to him. Which meant he – the Phantom himself? – had to be near. So Stoick had to keep him talking.

"Who are you?" he roared, hearing his own voice echo through the tunnels as well.

"You wound me," the man sarcastically shot back. "I thought we were well-acquainted by now. But fine. I'm your infamous  _Phantom of the Arena._  And  _you_  are on my terrain."

"This island doesn't belong to you," he bellowed. "None of it."

"Oh, believe me, it's mine," the Phantom echoed back, his voice sounding like a mockingly bad impression of Stoick himself. "More than you can imagine."

"Am I supposed to know you?" he shouted back, looking around for the source of the voice. But the echoes and the darkness around him made it impossible for him to locate it.

What followed in response was one of the most harrowing laughs Stoick had heard in his life. And he'd dealt with a lot of mad men.

"No,  _Stoick the Vast_ , I can assure you that you don't know me at all." The Phantom almost spat out his name.

"What do you want." It wasn't a question as much as a loud hiss.

"I thought I'd already made clear what I want often enough? Stop killing dragons, or leave this island all together. And those terms are non-negotiable."

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged," the Phantom echoed without hesitance. "Not by me though. Not my line of work."

"Then what did you do to Astrid Hofferson?"

"Oh, you'd like to know that, wouldn't you?" the Phantom scoffed.

"Tell me where she is!" he roared, his patience running out.

"I already told you. She's fine, for now."

"Don't you even dare to put a finger on her," he hissed.

The Phantom laughed loudly. "Too late for that. I already have."

Stoick's hold on his hammer strengthened, his knuckles almost turning white. The bastard. Had he raped her, beaten her, abused her in any other way? He didn't want to think about it. They just needed her back.

"Why don't you fight me like a real man, instead of using her?" he proposed.

"Because I don't want to. After all, I've got Berk right where I want it."

The sense of confidence and outright arrogance in the Phantom's voice was infuriating. "Berk won't crumble," he bit.

"But it already is, isn't it?" the Phantom asked, rhetorically. "Because you are. You lost your wife, your only son, and now the girl you  _incredibly naïvely_  hoped would one day become your successor. You will fall apart. And Berk along with it."

Before he could shout back, a metallic noise echoed through the tunnel, as if something was bouncing on the floor, only to land at his feet.

"You will never win. So the question is when you will start to see that too." The Phantom paused for a moment. "But, speaking of over your dead body; I won't light the gas that's currently about to surround you, but if you don't get out of here right now, it will suffocate you. So for once, consider being clever."

He noticed it then; the distinctive smell of Zippleback gas, filling his nostrils, the taste lingering on his tongue.

"You won't get away with this!" he bellowed, coughing as he did. But the tunnels stayed silent.

He tried to wave the gas away, but it quickly became too much for him to handle and he saw no other option than to run towards the exit of the system, shouting insults through the tunnels as he did. But the Phantom didn't bite back.

Eventually, he ended up at the entrance to the system, catching his breath. He'd dealt with many lunatics in his life, but this had been something different. The Phantom's arrogance was harrowing, chilling. Maddening.

But there was an upside to all of this. In the almost two years the Phantom had been haunting them, no one had ever seen or heard him. But tonight, the Phantom had revealed more of himself than he ever had before. And Stoick would make him regret that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup no. Hiccup why.


	23. Entr'Acte - Astrid Goes For A Spin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another chapter! A bit longer this week around ^^
> 
> Warning: This chapter contains NSFW content
> 
> Note: I unfortunately haven't gotten around answering all (longer) comments on chapter 22 yet. I hope to have time for it this weekend!

It took Hiccup a long time to return from the Viking islands once again. Astrid had said goodbye to him over a week ago, and every day since, she'd missed him, her mind and body yearning for him. Honestly, it was preposterous how hard she'd fallen for him, and how much he occupied her mind. She felt there were hardly any moments in her day when she didn't think of him in some way. About the way his lips melted perfectly against hers, how good it felt when he held her, how her heart fluttered every time he smiled. And whenever she allowed herself to fantasize about him, her body was quick to remind her she wanted more than that.

But she didn't know if she could let that happen. She'd felt Hiccup's excitement rub against her thigh often enough to know that whether he wanted her or not wasn't the issue. Everything that such a physical connection meant however, was holding her back. There were certain things she'd started to forgive. But that she still hadn't forgotten.

They were a complicated couple – if they could even call themselves that, given that they still hadn't discussed their situation – for sure. They were unusual, out of the ordinary. There were no habits, no age-old Viking traditions; there was no security apart from the rhythm of Hiccup leaving and returning. And even when exactly he'd do that was up to chance. She usually wasn't one to adhere to routine too closely, as she needed to be adaptable. But she couldn't help but feel like she needed some sense of certainty.

There were so many things she didn't know, and at the same time did not want to address. She knew he cared for her, but she didn't know how much. She knew he wanted to sleep with her, but not for what reason. She knew her allegiance was currently being split into two by Berk and Hiccup, two parties that she couldn't imagine seeing eye to eye in the near future. And she didn't know how long she could make that last – how long he'd let that last. She couldn't allow herself to believe that wouldn't break eventually and she was afraid to think about how it would. She could never abandon Berk. But the thought of abandoning Hiccup stung her more with every passing day.

At one point, she'd have to discuss it with him. He'd told her he didn't hate her for still caring about Berk, and she'd seen no anger in his eyes then. Just the familiar cold that passed over him when it came to humans. But as much as he'd been good to her – consistently so – over the past two months, there was still this nagging voice in the back of her head that reminded her of all those times he hadn't been. Which she couldn't help but think back to whenever the Phantom showed himself in Hiccup's expression. As much as she tried not to, somewhere, she did still wonder if he could ever do something like that to her again.

Luckily, she could fill her days with training drills to keep her mind off the dragon rider. Spring in the Archipelago meant rain, and lots of it, so the dragons' enthusiasm wasn't exactly on her side. Flying in formation was going fine, but with the dragons constantly wet, group target practice was out of the question. Enticing other dragons to keep following along wasn't really achievable either, as most of them refused to leave the comfort of Phantom Island's volcano. So, as she once again found herself thoroughly soaked on Stormfly's back, she decided to call it a day early and spend some time on herself. To take a long bath, wash her hair, think of Hiccup…

With that thought, she landed on the lake's shore, dismounting Stormfly and jumping away as the dragon shook off the water on her scales. Not that it mattered; her clothes were already sticking to her skin.

Absent-mindedly studying the Nadder as she twisted her braid to get the cold water out, she was interrupted by a loud warble. She spun around just in time to see something black coming for her, Toothless slipping to a halt just in front of her and enthusiastically wagging his tail.

"Hey Toothless," she greeted him, crouching and scratching the Night Fury under his chin. "I'm glad to see you too." The dragon got distracted quickly, heading straight for Stormfly and having her commit to one of their usual games. But if Toothless was here, that meant Hiccup was…?

Her eyes searched the lake in front of her and she found him then, sitting in the water against the pool's stone edge, so that everything but his head and upper torso were submerged. He was looking back at her, something akin to shock in his eyes.

"I didn't know you were back…" she stammered. "You didn't…"  _You didn't come and tell me_. He had always done that, until now. The previous three times, he'd always sought her out first, no matter how long he'd had to fly to get back or how far she'd strayed from Phantom Island during her training drills. But this time around, he hadn't. What had caused him to break one of the only habits they had? Had he, while he was gone, decided that whatever it was they were, was over? She couldn't keep a straight face as that knife dug its way into her heart.

"Astrid…" Hiccup started, looking deflated. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "It's alright, it was bound to end someday after all. It was a good month."

Hiccup frowned, then his eyes turned big. "Gods, Astrid, no, that's not what I meant, I –" He shook his head, lifting himself out of the water. Reflexively, she turned her head away, only daring to look back a few moments later. Her mind went blank right then. He wasn't naked – anymore – but the pair of brown shorts, of which he was currently tightening the strings around his waist as he walked towards her, left nothing to the imagination.

She'd seen his upper body before, when he'd told her how he'd gotten his scars, but this was different. Finally, she got a good look at his tall posture, his broad shoulders and toned arms, droplets of water dripping down from it and making him almost shimmer in the light of the volcano's torches. Flying a dragon for years had certainly made him strong, she realized as her gaze was inadvertently drawn to the clearly defined muscles of his abdomen, forming a V-shape that led all the way down to the one spot that still remained unseen. It made her legs feel weak and she was glad Hiccup wrapped his arms around her right then.

"I don't want this to end," he murmured, pulling her closer and burying his nose in her hair. She put her hands on his strong chest, feeling the warm droplets on his skin and the steady rise and fall of his breath. How was he this comfortable, being almost naked in front of her? Judging by the pace at which her own heart was currently racing, she wouldn't be surprised if she soon exploded.

"It's just, I…" Hiccup continued, seemingly struggling. "I just came back from Berk and, like, the village is fine, nothing happened, but I just can't help but notice how your expression turns sour when I mention it. Like you're upset with me."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at him, finding a sense of insecurity in his green eyes.

"I'm not upset with you. Maybe kind of, but not really. Like, you know I wish you did things differently. But as long as you don't hurt anyone on Berk, which I trust and know you won't, I'm not going to hate you for it." She looked down, unable to meet his inquisitive eyes. "I'm just… afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Hiccup asked, his frown reflected in his voice.

"That this will go wrong. That eventually, I will have to choose, that –" She softly pounded her fist against his chest. "That you'll make me choose." She swallowed nervously as the words left her mouth. "Between fighting to free Berk, and…" She looked up at him, his eyebrow creased. "Helping you."

He closed his eyes for a moment, smiling softly as he reached up to cup her face. When he opened them again, she found herself completely lost in his expression.

"Having you here makes me happier than you can imagine," he told her. "I'm not going to ruin that because you happen to care for an island I detest. After all, with you doing so well with the dragons, it'll all be over soon."

She found some solace in his words, but she needed more certainty. "Do you promise?"

"Promise what?" he frowned.

"That you won't make me choose."

"Sure," he smiled, but then his face turned sour. "I just wish you didn't feel like you needed to ask me that."

"It's just, gods, I –" She gestured with her hands, pulling herself away from him. "I need you to be predictable. Like today, I know I shouldn't get upset over something as small as you not stopping by to tell me you're back. But it's just –" She wrapped one arm around herself, burying the other in her hair. "You did that the previous three times, and now, today, you didn't, and I –" She bit her lower lip. "I need you to be consistent, because, no matter how hard I try, I…"

"You still haven't forgotten I lashed out at you," Hiccup completed, his arms going limp.

She nodded. Hiccup looked slightly lost as he gazed back at her, eventually squeezing his eyes shut and looking away. "I mean, I probably deserve that, right?" he murmured, shaking his head. "No, not probably, I  _absolutely_ deserve that. And I will never be able to make it right."

There was a pained expression on his face as he looked at her again. "But Astrid, I –" He took a step forward, reaching back out to her with his scarred arm. Hesitantly, she took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. "You said you trust me, right?"

Gazing back at him, finding the hurt in his emerald eyes, she nodded.

"Then  _please_  trust me when I say that, when it comes to you, I'm not in that place anymore," he pleaded. "I don't want to hurt you. Ever. Or make you think that I  _could_  hurt you, as the Phantom often did. We're past that. I'm past that."

He pulled her closer to his chest, and she let him, the comfort of his warmth too big to resist. "It's just, Berk, I –" he murmured, burying his nose in her hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I hate it there. I'm in a bad place when I come back from there. And I didn't want to burden you with that. So I figured I'd try to lighten up first."

She laughed softly, feeling Hiccup shiver as her breath hit his bare shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up at him. "You don't burden me." She smiled. "If anything, come talk to me when you're feeling that way. I will gladly try to cheer you up anytime."

He smiled at her then, and she reached up to kiss him, the touch of their lips soft, the kiss itself slow. She loved the feeling of his bare chest against her body, his heat, and how much more of him she could feel. His hair was wet and stuck to his face and neck, but so was hers, so she buried her hands in it nevertheless, aching to pull him ever closer to her.

They separated too soon – it was always too soon – and Hiccup stole another brief kiss from her before pulling away. "Well, given that you look completely drenched, I'll leave the lake to you. To make up for being silly." He gave her an awkward, lopsided smile.

She grabbed his wrists however, preventing him from leaving. "No." She shook her head. "Stay."

His eyes grew to almost twice their normal size as he seemed to realize what she was implying. "But – you – I – ?"

"I have an idea," she told him, a devious smile on her lips.

He frowned in response. "I'm not sure I like where this is going."

She gave him a teasing smile. "Just get back where you were, I'll be right back."

Hiccup eyed her warily but then obliged after all. She skipped back to her bed, looking through her stuff and finding a stray piece of brown, leftover cloth. It was perfect.

She hurried back to Hiccup, finding him back in the water, gazing at her with a look of extreme suspicion.

"Turn around," she told him as she knelt down behind him. As soon as he did, she wrapped the cloth around his head, covering his eyes and tying the two ends together at the back of his head. She checked whether it was secured properly and then started to remove her clothes.

"Astrid, why are you blindfolding me?" Hiccup wondered out loud.

"Let's just say it's payback for all those times in the arena when you could see me, but I couldn't see you," she told him. Finally, she pulled her soaked shirt over her head, leaving her in nothing but her breast bindings and her undergarments. Finding them drenched by the rain as well, a naughty yet exciting thought crossed her mind. If he couldn't see her, why wouldn't she just take those off too?

Decisive but eager with anticipation, she left the two pieces of clothing on the lake's shore, reaching into the lake with her toes and letting out a relieved sigh as the warm water enveloped her. She submerged herself, untangling her braid and letting her blonde hair flow freely.

"Gods, this feels good," she almost moaned as she came back up, enjoying the lake's warmth. Her hand had healed a long time ago, but water still felt extremely good on the small scars that'd been left behind.

"Hm-hm," was all Hiccup had to offer in response.

She turned to look at him, finding an obvious downside to her plan; she couldn't see his eyes. But the expression on his face was one of tension and uncertainty, his cheeks flushed. She smiled to herself. For once, she was the one who was leaving everything up to the other's imagination.

"You know, I was actually planning on shaving," he told her. "But I don't think that'll go down well if I can't see anything."

She chuckled. "Nice try, Hiccup, but that's not going to work." She paused, biting down on her lower lip. "But I could do it for you?"

"Uh, sure," he stammered, gesturing to the lake's shore. "I should have left a blade and some soap there."

She waded through the water, looking for the items Hiccup had pointed at. "I don't think you'd look too bad with a beard though," she teased as she picked them from the shore.

"Yeah, it's a shame I can only grow half of one," he threw back.

Thor's mighty underpants, she was an idiot. "Sorry, Hiccup," she told him as she made her way back to him. "I didn't think of that."

"It's okay," he reassured her. "Gives me a reason to keep my face clean-shaven, I suppose." Indeed, as she studied his cheeks, she only found a small amount of stubble on the left side of his face.

She rested her knees on the underwater ledge he was sitting on, straddling his legs between hers so he was right in front of her. She made sure not to sit down on his thighs, so he wouldn't notice exactly how undressed she was. But she could see and feel him tense up nevertheless as the bare skin of her legs rubbed against his, one scarred, one smooth. It made her heart flutter too.

"No touching," she teased as she saw Hiccup's shoulders move, and he promptly put his arms back down, pouting slightly.

"Do they ever still hurt?" she asked as she started to massage his face, Hiccup visibly twitching beneath her touch. "Your scars, I mean."

"Hardly," he told her, his voice hoarse. "The skin's just rougher, and less sensitive. But having them soak like this does feel good."

"Would you prefer it then if I only touched your left side, when we, you know, make out?" she asked, suddenly incredibly aware of how close to being skin-to-skin they were.

"No," he shook his head. "If anything, I like it when you touch them." A soft smile appeared on his lips. "Makes me feel like they aren't there."

"To me, they aren't," she told him, lovingly taking in his features. Of course they _were_ there, evaporating the freckles that trailed down all the way to his shoulders, but they had become such an everyday sight to her that she could hardly imagine what he'd look like without them.

Trailing her fingers along his scarred shoulder and the fractured part of his torso until her hand was forced to go under water, she murmured: "You know, in all those months we've talked to each other, we've never talked about these kind of things."

Hiccup frowned. "My scars? They're not exactly my favourite topic."

"No." Softly, she traced his neck with the back of her hand before she pressed the blade to his cheek. "This, intimacy."

She could feel him tense up slightly before he spoke, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "Is it important to you?"

"Kind of," she told him as she started to remove the first few hairs. "I haven't…"

She took a deep breath, steeling herself. She shouldn't be so nervous about telling him this. She was just relaying the facts, after all. Getting them on the same page. "I haven't ever been with anyone like that. So if we were to ever…" She hated how her voice sounded like it was about to break. "Well, you know. You'd be the first."

"And you want to know if that'd be the same for me," Hiccup deduced.

She nodded, but then realised he couldn't see her. "Yes," she told him, softly. She didn't want to be the kind of girl those things mattered to, but she'd found herself wondering if he'd had any lovers in all those years he'd been away.

"Now that's a great question to ask a guy when you've got a blade at his throat," he joked.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so long ago," she reassured him.

"True," Hiccup smiled, but then his lips went down again. "But yes, I've 'been' with women before. In Europe, mostly. And nothing long-term."

Her breath hitched at his confession. "You mean, as in whores?"

"Sort of…" he mumbled. "But not exactly."

"Hiccup…" She hated it when he spoke in riddles.

"I wasn't the one who paid," he told her.

She frowned as she carefully moved the blade along his cheek, making sure she wouldn't wound him. "Someone was paying them for you?"

"No. I was the one being paid."

She froze, staring blindly at him, looking for the pair of green eyes she couldn't see. "You sold yourself?" she stammered.

"Just my services," he shrugged. "Toothless and I were poor. Dirt poor, actually. Up here in the north, the villages are a lot smaller, so people look after each other. That just doesn't happen down there, the cities are too big and the people care too little. Whatever Toothless and I couldn't catch ourselves – clothes, medicine, things like that – we had to steal, or I somehow had to make enough money to buy it."

He smiled wryly. "Selling Toothless' shed scales wasn't an option; they were too rare, too different, and attracted attention from the wrong people. And eventually, in Constantinople, I learnt how  _different_  some people do marriage over there." He gestured with his hands, splashing water around as she continued to shave him, struggling to keep the blade steady as he moved. "Like, Vikings do arranged marriages too, but there it was pretty much the only thing they did among the rich. Which resulted in many unhappy relationships and hence, women who were looking to  _actually_ be pleasured, instead of just having to be with their husband because they needed a child, or because he wanted them to."

"Which is where you came in," she realized.

He nodded slightly, the blade scraping his cheek. "I was approached by such a woman one day. She told me she liked how I looked. I was a bit more tanned than I am right now, but still way paler than most men down there. Northern look, freckles, and a set of scars that made me look kind of tragic."

He scoffed. "She thought I looked exotic, to be precise. And given the amount of money she was willing to offer me in return, and that she was very pretty, I fucked her."

She almost cut him by accident as the way he so blatantly confessed that outright shocked her. Regaining her composure, almost done with Hiccup's face, she asked: "And after that?"

"After that, she found me suitable to recommend to her friends. And I provided the same services to a few of them. It wasn't too bad, really." His lips curled into the smile she'd come to know as his reassuring one. "Most of them were a lot older than I was and just thought I was kind of endearing. Some didn't even want to sleep with me, but just enjoyed listening to me stammer in some mixture of Norse and Greek, even helping me with the language as I did to them what they'd otherwise do to themselves. And those that did want to go all the way were very keen on making sure they didn't get pregnant, so I don't have any bastard children running around."

"I guess that's an upside to it," she conceded as she finished her work on Hiccup's face, putting the blade and the soap back on the lake's shore, which he was still comfortably leaning against. She was surprised at the amount of ease he'd told his story with. Despite not being able to see his eyes, she knew all too well what Hiccup looked like when he was hurt or distressed about the things he told. And his current expression wasn't that one.

"Do you regret doing it?" she asked.

"No," he answered, sounding determined. "There are worse things I could have done for money, and they were always very kind to me." He paused for a moment. "Do you think less of me for doing it?"

She shook her head. "No. But I appreciate you telling me." Another piece of history to put Hiccup's life in perspective with. Poverty, living off whatever he could find. "I guess you've never really been happy at any point in your life, have you?"

"I'd say I'm pretty happy right now," he softly spoke.

She smiled. "So am I." It didn't matter what they were or weren't. Their happiness was the only thing that did.

She laughed softly, trying to break the tension. "I guess that also explains why you seemed to be so comfortable just now, talking to me almost naked."

"Please, Astrid," he scoffed. "If you think my heart wasn't beating out of my chest then – or now – then you have absolutely no clue about what you do to me."

His face broke into a soft smile then, and she could only imagine the same softness in his eyes. He lifted his left hand, seemingly looking for her, so she grabbed his wrist and guided it to her face. He cupped her cheek, slightly pulling her closer, his breath tickling on her lips.

"But, I want you to know that, if we were to ever go that far," he whispered as he softly caressed her face. "It'd be the first time I'd be doing those things with a woman I really care for."

"I just don't know if I'm willing to go  _that_  far," she admitted. "Yet. It's quite a lot."

"Doesn't matter," he smiled. "First of all; I'd have you any way. And secondly, I'm not planning on letting you go anytime soon."

Overcome by the sweetness of his words, she pressed her lips against his, taking in the taste of his wet mouth and the smell of his fresh-shaven cheek. He groaned as she buried her hands in his wet hair, fully giving herself to the kiss. His history with women didn't matter to her. She was the one he wanted right now, who he cared for. And she wanted him too. She couldn't imagine wanting anyone else.

Hiccup reached for her braid, his search momentarily pausing when he seemed to realize she'd loosened it. For some reason, that enticed him even more and he proceeded to completely bury his hand in it, wrapping her blonde strands around it and slightly tugging on them.

She growled as his other arm wrapped itself around her waist, his slender and calloused fingers landing on her back. He stroked her back softly, his fingers running along her spine as she continued to kiss him, her hands wandering to his chest as well, tracing the lines on it, both muscle and scar. As Hiccup's hand reached up however, further covering her back, he froze.

"Hiccup?" she asked as even his lips completely stopped moving altogether.

"Are you…" he stammered, his voice hoarse. "Not wearing anything at all?"

She smiled cruelly. "Is that a problem?"

"No, I think I can deal with that," he responded, his breath hot on her face.

She kissed him teasingly, trailing kisses along his jawline and finally pressing her lips to his ear, which got her a delicious series of moans in return.

"But the blindfold stays on," she told him, pressing her chest against his so she could feel his skin against her bare breasts. Him feeling her was one thing, him seeing her was another. Being like this, in charge, it made her feel confident. And daring to go further.

"And here I was thinking you were kind of nice," Hiccup whined. "But I was wrong. You're outright evil."

Before she could tease him back, he released her hair and moved both of his hands under water, tracing her waist and her hips. She shivered beneath his touch, one hand clearly rougher, both of them driving her insane. She kissed him firmly, gasping for air before she did.

He groaned into her mouth as both of his hands firmly cupped her ass. A moan escaped her throat but that didn't seem to be enough for Hiccup as he decided to softly bite into her lower lip, drawing out an even more primal sound from the depths of her lungs.

He pulled her closer, her bared hips landing on his. She could feel his arousal through his shorts and teasingly rubbed against him, making Hiccup throw his head back as he moaned and whimpered. Gods, she loved the way she could influence him. And he her.

As Hiccup seemed to come back to his senses, his hands gripped her hips, flipping the two of them around as well as that went in the water. She landed with her shoulders against the lake's rock edge, water splashing up and completely drenching both of them even further. She let her legs float down onto the ledge, chuckling slightly as Hiccup leant down on top of her, his hips still firmly between hers.

"You've got a lot of audacity for a blind man," she teased as he traced the lines of her neck with his nose.

"Got to make the most out of my situation," he murmured against her skin, pressing his lips to the spot just behind her ear and moving along her cheek before he found her mouth again.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she returned his kiss, eagerly intertwining her tongue with his. He softly rocked against her, his arousal rubbing against that spot that was turning more sensitive by the minute. She'd touched herself many times before, knew what got her going. But this was already so much better.

Hiccup's hands were all over her, touching those parts of her that were both submerged and fully revealed. He was simultaneously gentle and rough, just the right combination of passion and lust, exploring every curve of her body. One of his hands cupped her breast, eagerly playing with the hard and sensitive bud on top of it.

Her body arched beyond her control, the amount of pleasure his touch gave her almost unbearable. "Gods, Hiccup –"

She felt him smile against her lips, drawing away from her mouth and placing kisses on her neck instead. He dragged his tongue along her skin as he went downward, teasing her all the way down to her collarbone, drawing a series of involuntary sounds from her slowly crumbling body as he continued to stimulate her nipple with his fingers. His lips went further down and she pulled her chest slightly out of the water, allowing him to go where she wanted him to. As his lips found his target, gorgeously closing themselves around her other sensitive bud, she felt like she'd come undone right there.

"Hiccup," she moaned, beyond embarrassment. "Oh my Thor."

She prevented her head from falling backwards, forcing herself to look down at him, catching nothing but the crown of his dripping wet auburn hair as he worked tirelessly to make her feel so incredibly good. She moaned his name, called upon the gods, knowing they'd smite her for enjoying this. But they could. It'd be worth it.

"I can't even begin to imagine how beautiful you look right now," Hiccup panted against her skin as he eventually released her, his lips making a sucking sound as he did so.

A teasing smile appeared on his lips as she could only imagine the naughty look in his eyes as his hands moved down, cupping her ass and pressing her neediness against his arousal. It drew a moan from Hiccup's own throat, making him growl his next words. "Given how  _incredibly good_ you feel."

"Maybe we could arrange something," she gasped as his mouth closed around her nipple again, seemingly set on making her come like that. And she wasn't even sure she'd be able to prevent it, finding herself moaning even louder.

Eventually, he gave her a break. "I'm listening."

"I'm not ready to have sex with you, but…" She bit her lower lip, the burning need between her legs giving her the courage to put the words across her lips. "I want you to do to me what you did to those other women in Constantinople."

"And what's in it for me?" he countered, trailing one of his fingers along her skin, up from her collarbone all the way down to her wrist.

"You get to see me enjoy it." She missed his eyes. And the thought of him watching her reach the height of pleasure was so incredibly erotic it almost drove her over the edge just thinking about it.

A smile played on Hiccup's lips then. "Deal."

He twisted, sitting down on the submerged ledge and dragging her with him, her body moving through the water until she was once again on top of him, her lower legs resting on either side of his thighs. Once more praising the fact that Hiccup was tall enough for a large part of his torso and shoulders to stick out above the water, she eagerly caressed every part of him as their lips were on each other's once more.

Hiccup's hands were under water, on her hips and slowly making their way down to her thighs, but not before firmly squeezing her ass, drawing a girly giggle from her in response. His hands wandered to the inside of her legs, one of them slowly making its way up along her thigh.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked, his hand pausing just before it reached the spot she wanted him to touch her in so badly.

She pressed her whole upper body against his, eager with anticipation. She reached up, grabbing onto the piece of cloth that was still concealing his eyes. "Yes," was all she could offer in response, her fingers slowly working on the knot until the piece of cloth came loose, fluttering down towards the water surface and drifting away from them.

The look in his eyes was indescribable, and he became indescribable along with it. He blinked a few times, seemingly adjusting to the light before his eyes fixated themselves on her. His pupils were dilated, his green pearls soft, but they somehow became even bigger when he took her in. His eyes wandered from her face, to her lush strands of hair and then finally to her body, her breasts just above the water surface. He almost looked enchanted, and that gorgeous look on his face completed him, making her want him even more.

He cupped her cheek, leaving his other hand close to her ever-yearning entrance. He leant his forehead against hers, his eyes fluttering closed before he kissed her soft and tenderly.

"You really are beyond my wildest dreams," he whispered, trembling slightly beneath her. "Gods, you're gorgeous."

She wanted to brush his compliments away to remind him of his end of the deal, but she didn't get a chance to. She felt Hiccup's hand continue onwards, reaching up and slowly separating her other pair of lips. Had they not been under water already, she would be sure he would've found her wet and wanting between them.

His eyes stayed focused on hers as he found her entrance, slowly pressing one of his fingers into it. It was enough to make her body arch against his as she moaned loudly.

"You good?" Hiccup whispered, his voice low and husky.

She nodded, grabbing his face with both hands and kissing him roughly, strengthening her response. He seemed to have received her message as he slowly started to move his finger inside her, beckoning her closer. She gasped against his lips, rocking her hips as he moved.

He drew his lips away from her, trailing kisses down her neck as he cupped her ass with his other hand, nudging her to sit up until her breasts were at the same height as his face. He kissed her between them as his thumb found the sensitive nub between her legs, softly pressing down on it. It drew a cry from her throat and she gripped his shoulders, afraid she'd collapse otherwise.

"The sounds you make alone could kill me," Hiccup moaned, his voice a near-whisper as his tongue proceeded to trace the outside of her nipple before his lips came down to suck on it once more.

She rocked her hips harder as he continued to stimulate her clit, his finger still moving inside her at a maddening pace. Eventually, a second one joined it, driving her crazy as he seemed to take control of every part of her body.

" _Hiccup,"_ she moaned, his name sounding like a prayer. " _Gods_."

" _Astrid,"_ he panted against her sensitive skin, removing his other hand from her body, drawing it back to himself and reaching down under water.

She had just enough sense left to realize what he was doing. Releasing one of her hands from his shoulders, she traced the wet lines of his torso and reached under water, following him as he reached into his shorts. Hiccup's movements paused as he looked up at her, something akin to surprise on his face.

"Let me," she told him before he could ask a question. "I want to make you feel good too."

Hiccup softly nodded. His rougher hand closed around her wrist, guiding her further down into the water. She felt him twitch as soon as she touched him, his cock clearly hard and wanting. It sent a spark through her body, and she didn't mind that he seemed too shook to move his own fingers inside her. This was exciting too.

"I've never done this before," she admitted as she closed her hand around his arousal. She felt him throb in her hand and her heart started to pound even harder as she felt him immediately respond to her touch. "So please bear with me. I don't really know what I'm doing."

Biting her lower lip in concentration, she started to move, drawing a moan from Hiccup's throat as she did. His empty hand went back up, seemingly searching for something but falling limp back into the water. His head fell back, his eyes closing as sounds started to escape from his lips, so delicious it made her want to devour him whole. " _Fuck_ , Astrid."

She enjoyed seeing him like this, completely at her mercy until his eyes eventually focused back on her. His pupils were big, his eyes darkening with hunger as he seemed to regain his senses. Slowly but more decisively he resumed his movements inside her, moans escaping from her throat as he did.

"If this is you not knowing what you're doing," he groaned, moving his hand to caress her breast, making her cry out as he pinched her nipple. "I can't even imagine how good it'll be when you do."

Pulling him closer with the arm that was still hooked around his shoulders, she locked her lips with his as they moved against each other. Their kisses were sloppy as they both struggled, panting and moaning. It slowly became too much, too good, too –

" _Fuck_ ," she hissed as she could feel the tension building between her thighs, biting down on his lower lip to spur him on. He was quick to oblige, his skilled movements making her tremble. " _Gods, Hiccup."_

He leant his head against her shoulder, panting her name against her skin as she increased the rhythm of her own hand around his cock. " _Astrid_ ," he moaned, pressing down even harder on her clit.

"Hiccup!" she cried, the pleasure almost blinding her, burying her fingernails in his shoulders. " _Ah_  – Hiccup –"

She reached her height right then, her body shocking and convulsing as she came. Her vision went white as waves of pleasure rocked her body, her muscles spasming and all the strength in them disappearing. She ascended to Valhalla and only floated back down an eternity later, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

She found the strength to open her eyes again as she fell limp against him, her hand still on his cock and the look on Hiccup's face telling her he'd reached his climax as well. His green eyes looked weary and were half-closed as he took her in, a satisfied smile lingering on his lips, his chest heaving heavily. It made her feel like she was falling for him all over again.

She moved both of her hands around his shoulders, just hugging him as his arms enveloped her waist, holding her naked body against his chest. She was breathing as heavily as he was, her skin hot against his. She had no words for how she felt. But she never wanted to feel anything else again.

"That was…" she eventually stammered.

"Amazing," Hiccup completed, pressing a kiss against her shoulder and hugging her so tight he was almost squeezing her. And it still wasn't tight enough.

"We could do this more often," she decided, pressing a lazy kiss to his cheek.

His lips found hers, their kiss slow and passionate. "I agree."

They proceeded to make out, their kisses lazy and limp, their hands on each other soft and caring. It was a different kind of kissing, but she revelled in it nevertheless. And she couldn't imagine not feeling like this every day. Right now, she had no reason for worry. They belonged together.

"And just so you know," she told him, pulling away only so slightly so she could get a good look at his eyes. "I don't plan on letting you go anytime soon either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you guys go, the first Phantom smut. And also the first M/F smut I have ever published. I hope it's at least alright!


	24. Entr'Acte - Wounded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone! Thank you all for your lovely comments last week; I was very nervous about posting my first smut chapter but you guys made me very relieved!   
> This chapter is a bit calmer :)

"Hiccup."

The man in question was sound asleep, on his side and curled up in his bed. His mouth was opened slightly and his furs only covered half of him, giving Astrid a good look at his bare back as she shook his shoulder.

"Hiccup, wake up."

Finally, he turned around, rubbing his eyes and lazily opening them, a bright emerald there to meet her. He glanced briefly at her before he turned back around, pulling up the furs.

"Astrid, as much as I like to make you come, I really need some sleep. I only just got back from Outcast Island, remember?" he mumbled.

Normally, she would've rolled her eyes and socked his shoulder for making a comment like that. But this was too urgent. "It's not about that."

His eyes went towards her again, but this time around they stayed there. His eyebrow creased as he finally seemed to catch the expression on her face. "Whoa, what happened?"

"It's the Razorwhip," she told him, steeling herself. "Something's wrong."

Hiccup's gaze became more focused as he sat up, the urgency in her expression apparently enough to get him moving. She jogged back to Stormfly as Hiccup gestured to Toothless that he could stay where he was, hopping on behind her on the Nadder instead. She quickly took them down, landing at the lakeside and taking Hiccup to the dragon.

"I was just playing with her," she started to explain. Hiccup had gone through his notes and figured out it was likely a girl a while ago. "Cleaning her scales along the way, as I usually do. But when I started on her tail…"

They reached the Razorwhip, who was spread out on the ground. Her wings were folded to her sides and her green eyes looked up at the two of them in despair. Astrid dragged Hiccup along to where her tail was, carefully taking it in her hands so she wouldn't cut herself on its sharp scales.

She could hear Hiccup gasp as he caught sight of what she'd woken him up for. There was one spot on the Razorwhip's tail that looked different from the others. Instead of a gorgeous, silvery scale, there was nothing. Just pink flesh, painfully exposed to the air.

"It just came off, I didn't do anything special," she explained as Hiccup took the Razorwhip's tail from her, studying the dragon's injury. "I don't know what went wrong." She'd been trying to suppress her panic so far, having instantly rushed to Hiccup, but now her voice broke.

"You couldn't have done this even if you tried," Hiccup mumbled as he put his hands on the wound. The Razorwhip hissed instantly, making him retract his hands before she could bite off his head.

Slowly, he touched the scales around it, a frown spreading across his face as he moved his hands. She saw it too. "The others are coming loose as well," he uttered.

"How? I mean, dragons shed scales, but this…" she wondered, hoping he'd have the answers they needed.

"This isn't anything like that," Hiccup agreed. He bit his lower lip. "I don't know what's wrong with her."

She watched as he brought his face down to the Razorwhip's tail, seemingly trying to look underneath the scale that used to overlap the one that'd come off. In the meantime, she retrieved the silver scale that had fallen on the volcano's rock floor. And found something else, shimmering on the ground next to it. It was so small she hadn't noticed it before.

"Hiccup," she called as she lifted the small gem from the ground. It was orange and slightly transparent. "Is this what I think it is?"

He looked up at her, his eyes instantly becoming larger as she walked over and showed him. "That's Death Song amber," he confirmed as she handed it to him. He bit his lower lip, further examining the scales and looking into the small openings between them.

"I think it must have gotten stuck between the scales of her tail somehow," he eventually murmured. "I can't see it well enough, but that seems like the most logical explanation."

"Which explains why she couldn't move it at first," she realized.

"And now the scales can't take the pressure anymore," Hiccup completed, putting the Razorwhip's tail back down. "And her whole tail will turn out like this if we don't manage to get the other pieces out of there."

"Can you do that?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"No," Hiccup answered, getting up to his feet. "But I know people who can."

He turned towards her, his gaze focused. "We should leave now. If you can bandage her, I'll go get dressed and wake Toothless. We'll have to fly through the night, but I don't want to risk waiting until tomorrow. I wasn't quick enough to act when she was in danger before, and I'm not going to let that happen again."

She nodded as Hiccup jogged towards Stormfly, mounting her and asking her to take him up.

"Wait, Hiccup!" she shouted before he took off. "Where are we going?"

"I'll explain on the way!"

Of course, it wouldn't be Hiccup if he made himself clear from the start. But they didn't have time to lose.

* * *

They flew for hours on end. Hiccup didn't say much, but he had been talkative enough to tell her that it would take them half a day to get to their destination. She still didn't know where they were going, but she couldn't be angry at him for his silence. He was exhausted, and every part of him was telling her so.

He'd told her Toothless and he had flown back all the way from Outcast Island, the target of the raid he'd been haunting, to Phantom Island in almost one go. Which was an eight hour flight. He'd greeted her as soon as they got back, showering her in kisses and  _I missed you_ 's before heading to bed. And she'd woken him up only three hours later. She was surprised he was even awake at all, and that Toothless was in the air.

Stormfly and Toothless took turns carrying the Razorwhip in their claws, the dragon quite quickly having resigned herself to being transported that way. They'd shown her often enough that they were only trying to help her over the time she'd spent with them, and she'd luckily started to understand that. By now, it'd been Stormfly's turn to carry her for a few hours already, but the Nadder had given Astrid enough signs that she could keep going if she needed to, if that would give Toothless the rest he sorely needed.

Only now could she really observe how much Toothless and Hiccup relied on each other. Hiccup usually sat upright as he flew, or he would lean down in such a way that it made Toothless and him catch the least amount of wind. In these hours however, he often slumped forward or laid flat on his back, seemingly moving Toothless' tail instinctively rather than consciously. The dragon itself almost fell asleep in flight, mostly keeping his wings spread out instead of beating them, his eyes occasionally closing. It slowed them down, but how could she complain as Hiccup was visibly yawning from behind his visor, only moving it up to rub his eyes every now and then. She'd asked them if they needed to take a break several times, but Hiccup had refused.

They kept flying as night fell, forcing them to use the stars instead of the sun to navigate. Luckily, Hiccup still seemed to be awake enough to do so, still not having told her where exactly they were going by the time the sun started to creep over the horizon again.

"Hiccup?"

A sleepy "Hm?" was there to meet her.

"So where are we going again?"

She could see his eyes grow bigger behind his visor. "Oh, yeah. Wingmaiden Island. I told you blind Razorwhip babies are watched over, right?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Well, that's what the Wingmaiden tribe does. So when it comes to healing a Razorwhip, that's the place to be."

"They live with dragons too?" The idea surprised her. She hadn't considered the possibility that there were others who were friendly to dragons, besides the two of them.

"Yes."

"Do they ride them as well?" She couldn't help but be excited about meeting a like-minded tribe. It made her wonder why Hiccup hadn't mentioned them earlier.

"You could say that, yeah. But not like us." He looked back at the horizon in front of them. "Shouldn't be long until we get there, actually."

"I guess I'll find out soon enough then," she smiled, watching as Hiccup yawned once more before lying back down on Toothless. He had asked her a few times whether Toothless should take over the Razorwhip, but after her last agitated 'no Hiccup, it's fine', he'd let it be.

Before they reached their destination however, they got caught up in one of the Archipelago's spring storms. Hiccup had seen no other way but to navigate through it, as finding another route would take them more hours than their dragons were able to take. The weather soon worsened however, the rain pouring down on them so hard that she could hardly see where they were going.

"Shouldn't we head back!?" she shouted, large droplets of water dripping off her hood. "Do you even know where we are?"

"We should almost be there!" Hiccup shouted, his voice almost getting lost in the wind. "Just a little while longer!"

Suddenly, a shadow passed in front of them, making Stormfly rear back in the air, halting almost immediately. She frantically looked around, trying to find the shadow and eventually spotting it once more. It was looping around them at high speed, essentially encircling them.

"Hiccup!?" she called, finding him still on her left flank.

Other shadows soon joined the first one, until there were at least five of them, completely surrounding them. She couldn't make out their shapes, apart from the fact that they  _definitely_ had wings. And that they looked like  _people_.

"It's me!" Hiccup shouted, pulling up his visor.

"She's with me too," he added, gesturing in her direction. "We have an injured Razorwhip. Female. Can you help us navigate back down?"

Seemingly agreeing to Hiccup's request, the shadows regrouped in front of them, before sweeping downwards in unison. Hiccup dove after them and she nudged to Stormfly to follow them. Only a few minutes later, they broke out of the storm, the Archipelago's sea opening up in front of them. And in the middle of it, there was an island.

It was mountainous and rocky, with a few lush forests. On the eastern side of it, there was a tall mountain with several stoney spikes sticking out of it. The island itself wasn't even half as interesting as the figures in front of them, however. They turned out to be five women, their silver armour – undeniable made out of Razorwhip scales – shimmering in the sunlight. And they were flying with silver wings to match them.

She pulled off her hood, looking at Hiccup in amazement. She could see his eyes light up, him smiling back from behind his visor as he pointed. "Look at their backs!"

Focusing her eyes on Hiccup's target, she spotted more than just the women's wings. A tail, and a head. Of a dragon. A small silvery dragon, with large eyes. They were being carried by young Razorwhips. Which was indeed nothing like the way in which they rode dragons.

She shook her head in disbelief. Whenever she thought she'd seen everything, there was always something else in Hiccup's world to surprise her.

"You should've just gotten yourself one of those instead of making a flight suit!" she shouted back, earning her an eye-roll from Hiccup in response.

"They're not exactly available for rent!"

Chuckling as they made their way down to the island, she could slowly make out more details. The women's village consisted of raised structures, sticking out above the trees. They reminded her of the tree houses some kids built back on Berk. But better, with bridges connecting most of the buildings to each other. They landed just outside the village, Stormfly putting down the Razorwhip before touching down herself.

The winged women landed in front of them, silver helmets covering their heads. They looked stern and stoic as they regrouped, taking on a militant stance. But from behind the slits of their helmets, she could spot their curiosity. Focussed on her.

Shortly after, a sixth woman landed in front of them. Unlike the others, her face wasn't concealed, but Astrid found herself looking at a young woman instead. She was dressed similarly to her fellow a tribe members, wearing an outfit made out of shed Razorwhip scales, completed with arm and leg guards. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail braid. She was wearing a bronze and silver circlet, which reached down to her jaw at the sides of her face. Judging by her stately appearance, Astrid figured she was their leader.

She eyed the women warily, but Hiccup seemed calm enough as he got off Toothless, which allowed her to relax as well.

"It's good to see you again, Hiccup," their leader spoke. Her voice had a sense of politeness and grace over it.

"We need your help, Atali." Hiccup moved his visor up and cut right to business without returning the pleasantries. He gestured to the Razorwhip. "We found her over two months ago, encased in Death Song amber. We released her, but it seems some parts of it got stuck between the scales of her tail. And now those scales are coming loose."

He walked over to the dragon, lifting her tail and showing the Razorwhip's exposed flesh underneath her bandages. "We can't fix her, so we were hoping you could."

The leader – Atali, she figured – frowned, gesturing to her companions. "Take her in. We'll see what we can do." The women ran over to the Razorwhip and proceeded to skillfully carry her away, as if this was routine to them.

Atali herself made her way to Astrid. "Speaking of 'we'," she continued, looking up at her. "I don't believe we've met before."

Feeling slightly elated still sitting on Stormfly's back, she got off as Hiccup gestured to her. "This is Astrid. She's my –"

He looked at her then, his eyes questioning as he seemed unsure of how to complete his sentence. This was the first time he was introducing her to someone. Someone who wasn't a dragon, that was.

"We're partners," she completed, smiling at him, his eyes lighting up in response.

"Nice to meet you, Astrid," Atali smiled. "My name's Atali."

"Likewise," she offered in return.

"Will she be fine?" Hiccup frowned, cutting off their conversation as he traced the women who were carrying the Razorwhip away with his eyes. Looking at him now, she could spot a bag underneath his left eye. "She's a female, so there shouldn't be any complications."

"We'll look after her as well as we can. We've had Razorwhips lose unintended scales due to illness before. With any luck, this won't be much different," Atali answered.

"Thank you, Atali," Hiccup nodded. There was a slowness in his eyes as they trailed back to the Wingmaiden. Gods, he was more exhausted than he would probably be willing to admit.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" the winged woman asked. "Food, water, a place to sleep? You must've flown for hours to get here."

"No, we're good," Hiccup responded. "I think we'll just head back home." He started to make his way back to Toothless but swayed dangerously on his feet as he did. She only caught him just in time, holding his shoulders and preventing him from fully collapsing.

"Actually, Atali, a bed would be nice," she smiled, trying to play off Hiccup's mishap as well as she could. "We did come a long way after all."

"Astrid, no," Hiccup hissed, his green eyes attempting to look at her sternly but only sort-of succeeding. "I'm just dizzy from being on the ground again after such a long flight."

"Hiccup, you're exhausted. You need to sleep."

"We can just camp out on a sea stack close to here," he argued.

"Why would we do that? You trust these people, right? Otherwise you wouldn't have brought the Razorwhip here," she pointed out.

"Astrid…" he started, but his voice trailed off before he could reason against her. Behind him, Toothless visibly yawned.

"They are offering us their hospitality, so let's use it. If anything, Toothless deserves it after taking you all the way here." Hiccup's eyebrow creased, but she wasn't going to let him protest. "So unless you give me an  _actual_ reason right now as to why we shouldn't, we're staying here."

He frowned at her for a few seconds more before finally sighing. "Fine."

"Sorry for that," she smiled in Atali's direction. "If the offer still stands, we'd like to take some rest before we head back home."

"Of course," Atali smiled back. "Please, follow me."

They trailed after her, the woman leading them into the village, which didn't look too special from down here. Most of the tree houses were built out of wood, making it look like you'd expect an average tribal village to look. What was out of the ordinary about Wingmaiden Island however, were its inhabitants.

She saw only women, all of them dressed in roughly the same outfit and most of them wearing a young Razorwhip on their back. Some were just walking around and carrying the dragons like that, while others soared through the sky with them. And whenever one of them paused to look at the dragon on their back, there was a love in their eyes she knew all too well. It was the same kind of love with which she took Stormfly in, and Hiccup Toothless.

It was the most peaceful she'd ever seen dragons and people live together. Idyllic was the only word she could use to describe it. There was a beauty to it she didn't think could be found within the Archipelago. A sense of respect between dragon and human which you'd never find on Berk.

Eventually, they stopped in front of an empty hut, Atali gesturing inside. She saw Hiccup's face contract slightly as she did. She frowned at his gloomy look. If anything, someone like him should be happy to be here, right? In a place with so many dragons, and seemingly like-minded people. But as she watched the cold in Hiccup's eyes, creeping through from behind his exhaustion, she got the feeling that something had happened to him here. And she wanted to know what.

"You're free to rest in there, if you'd like," Atali told them. "There should be enough space for your dragons too."

"Thank you," she nodded.

She pushed Hiccup and Toothless inside while Atali waited, having Stormfly follow them. She forced Hiccup to sit down on one of the beds inside, no energy seemingly left in him to protest. In the corner, Toothless already started to curl up, Stormfly joining him.

She crouched down to the height of Hiccup's eyes, cupping his face in her hands. "I'm going to ask Atali to give me a tour of the island. You are going to sleep, and don't you dare to come back out before nightfall, okay?"

He nodded, his head moving slowly as he did, and she leant her forehead against his. "I want to hear you say you agree."

"Agreed, milady," he softly whispered as his eyelids almost slid closed.

She pressed a long and tender kiss to his lips before drawing away from him. For all the times he was tough and a step ahead of her, she'd just as gladly have him like this, soft in her hands. It was like he'd told her down in the lake. She'd have him any way.

She gave Stormfly some well-deserved pets and scratches, reassuring the dragon she could rest instead of having to follow after her. Astrid was tired too, but she needed to learn the part of Hiccup's history that seemed to haunt this island. Both sides of it.

"Is everything alright?" Atali politely asked as she came back outside.

"Yes," she smiled. "But I was wondering if you could give me a tour of the island."

"It'd be my pleasure," Atali nodded. "Please follow me."

She walked after the woman, making their way through the village. She didn't spot anything she hadn't seen before, apart from the Wingmaiden's prying eyes. For one reason or another, she seemed to have grabbed their attention.

"How much has Hiccup told you about us?" she heard Atali ask, snapping her attention back to the woman in front of her.

"Not that much, actually," she admitted. "Apart from the fact that your tribe looks after young Razorwhips."

"Well, that is our main purpose," Atali smiled as they made their way to the village's outskirts. Eventually, they arrived at a cliff, Atali gesturing at her to look down. At the bottom of it was a group of tiny Razorwhips, waddling around and bumping into each other. It looked as adorable as it looked concerning.

"Baby Razorwhips are born blind. They are helpless, and their mothers cannot protect them against male Razorwhips," Atali explained.

"Why would they need to defend them from male Razorwhips?" she frowned.

"Adult male Razorwhips will feed on the babies, unless someone is there to stop them."

"Which is where you come in," she deduced.

"Yes," Atali nodded. "Nearly a thousand years ago, the Razorwhip almost became extinct. It was then that our Wingmaiden tribe was charged with a divine mission. A mission given to us by Freya herself. And one we fulfill with great honour to this day."

"Good thing the Razorwhip we brought in was a female, then," she murmured.

"Given her age, it would've probably been fine either way. She was likely part of the last flock we released back into the wild."

"And the Razorwhip you carry on your back has something to do with your mission too?" she asked, studying the moving creature. It gawked happily as it caught her gaze.

"Yes," Atali smiled, petting the dragon. "We have a mutual agreement with the Razorwhip mothers. We look after the babies until they are strong enough to fly. After that, we carry them on our backs until they are old enough to defend themselves. In the meantime, we take care of them, making sure they are fed, clean and healthy. Until they are ready to head out there on their own."

"Seems like our Razorwhip will be in good hands then," she smiled.

"I can assure you she will be," Atali smiled back, looking down at the little Razorwhips.

They stayed quiet for a while, their conversation feeling uneasy. She studied the baby Razorwhips some more, smiling slightly as she watched them waddle around. But really, she just wanted to ask about Hiccup. She just couldn't think of a way to smoothly slide that into the conversation. Tact wasn't usually her strongest point.

Before she could come up with a solution however, Atali turned to her instead. "Astrid?"

"Hm?" She tried to hide the concern in her expression as she caught Atali's gaze.

"If you don't mind me asking," Atali started, smiling slightly uneasily. "Who exactly are you to Hiccup?"

She paused for a moment, biting her lower lip. They were partners. But who was she? His girlfriend? His lover? His mistress? "Someone who cares about him," she eventually answered. That was the undeniable truth.

"I'm glad to hear that." Atali looked down at her hands. "How is he?"

"He's been worse, I suppose." No matter the amount of happy moments they shared, she couldn't exactly say he was totally okay. Given the cloud that always seemed to hang over him before he left for the Viking islands. Or when the word 'Berk' came up in their conversations.

"I see," Atali softly responded.

"You can always ask him yourself," she proposed.

"I'm not sure he'd appreciate that," the woman told her, her eyes focusing on the horizon. "Our relationship is quite… strained, I'd say."

"Then please allow me to return the question you asked me just now," she prodded. "Who are you to Hiccup?"

There was a short silence before the Wingmaiden spoke up again. "The leader of a tribe that let him down," Atali confessed. "At least, that's how I think he feels about us."

Something icy encased her heart. "In what way?"

Atali sighed. "Did Hiccup tell you how he got his scars?"

She nodded. "He did. A dragon burnt him badly, and…" She went over the story again in her head.  _Toothless just flew, carrying me half-awake on his back. Eventually, by some miracle, we were found by a tribe that was willing to help me heal_.

"Were you the ones who tended to his wounds?" she realized.

"Yes," Atali nodded. "We monitor every living creature that sails or flies within our island's borders. And one night, we found a Night Fury crossing them, with a horribly burnt boy on his back. We guided the two of them down towards our island, and Hiccup passed out right as they landed. But he managed to hold on to his life nevertheless, and did so for the months that came after."

"I can't even imagine the amount of pain he must've gone through. Half of his body hurt terribly and he had an almost constant fever that made it almost impossible for him to get out of bed, or to eat. He got even skinnier than he already was, and we were afraid he'd die because of it," Atali elaborated, her expression troubled.

"But the worst thing seemed to be his nightmares," the Wingmaiden softly added, her face darkening further. "He had to fight off fever dream after fever dream, screaming so loudly the whole village could hear him. It'd take Toothless hours to calm him down, with at least one of us at his side trying to cool him. He begged us so many times to make it stop, to put him out of his misery. Only to look at Toothless and decide, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he couldn't leave him." She closed her eyes. "It's the most horrifying thing I've ever had to watch someone go through."

"But he made it," Astrid softly murmured as the images of Atali's story played through her head. The thought of Hiccup,  _her_  Hiccup, so desperately hurt he begged for death was haunting.

"He did," Atali smiled. "And when he got back on his feet, he lit up this island with his presence. He got along great with most of us, and he was as eager to take care of the Razorwhips as the other Wingmaidens, even though he wasn't one of us."

The corners of her mouth curled up. "That does sound like him." She frowned. "But then why did you fall out? Surely, he must be thankful for all the things you've done for him." Did it have something to do with him becoming the Phantom? But that didn't happen until years later, as far as she knew. But then again, how much did she really know? After all, there were still so many blank spaces in Hiccup's past.

"Because he could never be one of us," Atali softly answered. As she looked at her, questioning, she explained: "Female Razorwhips are hostile towards all males, regardless of species. Hence, it is against the sacred rules of our tribe for men to permanently integrate into our society."

"You told him he had to leave?" she gaped, trying her best to suppress her exasperation.

"Not like that, no. But that he could not stay with us on a permanent basis, so we had to find a different solution." The Wingmaiden bit down on her lip. "The next morning, he was gone."

_After I'd gotten back on my feet, I ran_. That's what he'd told her. "He'd decided to leave himself, because he thought you didn't want him," she deduced. Just like he'd felt Berk didn't want him. "Did you go and look for him at least?"

"No," Atali admitted. "It was his own decision, he –"

She scoffed, looking at the Wingmaiden with badly-disguised disgust. "So you just let him go."

Atali looked at her, her eyes apologetic. "Astrid, you have to understand, we –"

"I do not understand," she snapped. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm herself down, only sort-of succeeding. "You told a deeply hurt and traumatised 16-year old boy, who undoubtedly had come to love living here, that he wasn't actually welcome. Leading him to head out into the world. Hurt and alone. With no place he felt he could come home to. Tell me how I'm supposed to understand that."

"Astrid, we have rules around here, which we simply cannot break," Atali tried.

"My tribe has rules and beliefs too," she bit. "That dragons are nothing more than murderous beasts, for instance, and that they should be killed on sight. Surely, you disagree with that?" Her stare intensified. "And so do I. So I broke that rule, because it wasn't right."

"Astrid, I –" Atali started, her eyes looking down. "I'm sorry."

"I don't need your apology," she told her. "Hiccup's the one you should apologize to. Although I doubt he'll accept it. And I can't say I'd disagree."

"I know…" Atali sighed. "I'm just glad to see he's somewhat alright."

"You didn't see him at all since he left?"

"Only once, about two years ago. When he'd just come back to the Archipelago," the Wingmaiden answered. "He told us where we could find him if we were ever in any trouble. The dragons, that was."

"Of course," she smiled wryly. Regardless of Hiccup's opinion on the Wingmaidens, there was no doubt in her mind the little silver dragons held a place in his heart. "How was he, then? When he just came back?"

"He was… different," Atali frowned. "Older, of course, an adult. But bitter, cynical. As if he carried this shadow with him. The light in his eyes that had been there even after he'd only just recovered, it was… extinguished, so to say." Her expression slightly lightened. "Although I think I saw a little of that again today, despite his exhaustion."

She knew the light Atali was talking about. It was the one that had drawn her to him the moment she'd first seen it. And that seemed to shine brighter with every passing day.

"And you never visited him since," she deduced.

"No," Atali softly answered. "We figured he probably didn't want us to."

"It's not like you tried to find out," she countered, her tone accusing. She watched Atali bite her lower lip, her eyebrows creased. An uneasy silence spread between the two of them, neither sure of what to say to the other.

"I think I'll go get some rest myself," she decided, breaking the awkwardness. "Thank you for telling me what happened."

She turned around, heading back to the village. "Astrid," Atali called from behind her, making her look back. "Please do what we didn't properly do. Please look after him."

She gave the woman a slight nod before resuming her course. "I will."

Silently, she made her way back to the village, looking for the hut she'd left Hiccup in. Making her way back in, she found the bed she'd left him in empty. A quick search with her eyes showed her he hadn't run however. Instead, she found him on the floor, Toothless curled up around him as he rested his head on the dragon's belly. His mouth was opened slightly, his chest heaving with every breath he took. He was asleep.

She sat down on the floor, her back against the wall, careful not to wake him or either of the sleeping dragons. From there, she just watched him, going over the things Atali had just told her while she once again studied his scars. His face twisted from time to time, his body twitching along with it. But overall, he seemed at peace. And as much as she wanted to hug him and draw him close to her, she couldn't disturb that.

She tried to imagine how he must've felt. Fled Berk at fifteen, the only home he'd ever known, because he was different, saw things differently. Afraid that his best friend would get killed if he didn't. But despite that, he'd come back, to look for a solution to the problem that kept Vikings and dragons apart. The Red Death. Only to be horribly punished for it.

And after he'd recovered from that, he'd found himself amongst people who had achieved that. Dragons and people, living in unison, taking care of each other. Given how excitable Hiccup still was many years later, she couldn't even begin to imagine how happy that had made him back then. For all she knew, he had already envisioned it; staying with the Wingmaidens, taking care of the dragons that lived on the island. Before he was told he couldn't stay.

Of course he had run. Gods, who could blame him for it? After fleeing from your old home and starting to believe you found a new one, only to find that the people there don't really want you to stay. She would've run far away from all of that too. But she suspected he never fully had been able to rid himself of that. After all, he still had his physical scars, there to remind him of everything that had happened to him.

She crawled over to him, careful not to disturb Toothless as she pressed a soft kiss to Hiccup's cheek. She didn't know why she did it, she just felt like she had to. After that, she got up, getting in the bed she'd put Hiccup down on before. She pulled up the covers, lying on her side so she could keep him in her field of view.

She'd do what Atali had asked. There was no doubt in her mind about that. She'd take care of him.

With that thought etched into her soul, she drifted away into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Wingmaidens, they appear in Dragons: Race to the Edge season 5 and 6. The following episodes are about them: Snotlout’s Angels, Chain of Command and Ruff Transition.


	25. Entr'Acte - Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here we are again! Thank you all once again for your continued support! Little point of notice: I have exams next week and unfortunately, I still have to write a large part of chapter 26. It's impossible for me to devote my attention to both of those things at the same time, so there will be one week extra between chapter 25 and 26. So until further notice (please keep an eye on my Tumblr, aleteia-ff, for that) The Phantom of the Arena will be back on April 11!
> 
> ~Slight NSFW Warning~

Astrid woke up in the darkness, sleepiness still keeping her in its hold. She supposed it was natural that she'd fallen asleep as quickly as she had, but part of her couldn't help but think that it was kind of strange to be lying in an actual bed again, instead of on a rock floor covered in furs and blankets, a dragon at her side. How quickly things could change.

The room around her was still dark, no light creeping in through the windows. There was only one source of light, coming from the left of her bed, the side she'd already been facing in her sleep. A candle, placed on the floor, its flames lighting the figure that was sitting against the wall. His legs were pulled up and he was looking down, slightly frowning as he moved the charcoal pencil in his left hand, seemingly strengthening some of the lines on the paper resting on the lower end of his thighs.

She watched him for a while, trying her best to stay silent as she watched the expressions on Hiccup's face change. The right side of his face was always a little bit less expressive, but she'd seen him cycle through his emotions often enough for her to interpret the way the lines of his scars changed. His frown loosened and intensified every now and then as he moved his hand. Occasionally, his expression opened up, his missing eyebrow creeping higher up his face before he moved his pencil even more frantically.

Eventually, he turned to look at her, seemingly surprised as he caught her open eyes looking back at him. He broke into a soft smile. "Hey."

She gave him a smile back. "Hey." His emerald eyes shimmered slightly in the candle light, making her heart flutter. "How early is it?"

"Morning's not too far away, I think. Few hours, at most." A teasing smile played on his lips. "Don't worry, I haven't been up for too long. I honoured our deal."

"Good," she laughed, exhaling softly. "What are you drawing?"

"You." He fumbled around with his sketchbook, holding it up towards her. His sketch looked a lot like the one he'd made of her before. Once again, it was stunning, his charcoal lines representing her perfectly. "I burnt the previous one," he added softly before she could ask. "Didn't feel like I deserved to keep it."

"And what about the other ones?" She hadn't ever seen them lying around when she'd been in his Nest.

"I kept them." He went through his sketchbook, retrieving some folded pieces of paper from between the pages. He always had his drawings of her with him. That thought made her heart contract pleasantly.

"I really liked them," she shared. "Including the one you drew from your imagination." The one of the two of them together, Hiccup's face concealed, his figure knelt in front of hers. Showing his devotion.

He smiled at her, organising his papers and putting them on the floor as she reached out to him with her right hand. He sat up on his knees, letting her bury her hand in his auburn mop as she propped herself up on her elbow, pulling him closer and kissing him. She heard him moan softly as he cupped her face with his hands, tenderly kissing her back.

They kept their lips locked until her elbow started to hurt, making her back away, drawing Hiccup up along with her. He climbed on top of the bed, pulling back her covers as his long legs settled on either side of her. She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down, silencing her protest with his lips as her back hit the bed.

There was something delicious and evil in his eyes as he moved to kiss her once more before dragging his lips down towards the base of her neck. She buried her hands in his hair, taking in his smell as his hands traced the line of her waist until one of them reached her breast, softly squeezing it.

"Hiccup," she moaned, failing to suppress the sounds he was drawing from her throat as she looked over his shoulder. "Not here."

"Why not?" he murmured against her skin as his other hand managed to find its way underneath her top. "It wouldn't be the first time Toothless and Stormfly get to listen."

"Because I'm afraid we'll wake the whole village up," she told him, although that argument increasingly got less convincing the more he touched her.

Hiccup lifted his head, taking her in with two big, hungry pupils. He kissed her again, a teasing smile appearing on his lips. "I guess you have a point. You do get quite noisy, after all."

She pulled up her knee, landing it square in his stomach as the blood rushed to her face. Hiccup winced and then laughed, giving her a peck on her forehead before he climbed off her. "You're so easy to tease."

"Shut up," she bit, trying to hide her embarrassment at him aptly pointing out how riled up she could get. Especially when he touched her down there.

She watched as Hiccup's shoulders shook as he chuckled, sitting down next to her before he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. As he was about to get up however, she closed her hand around his wrist. He looked back at her, his eyes questioning.

"I think you should sleep some more," she told him, softly tugging.

There was a moment of quiet on Hiccup's face, his eyes darting to her before he seemed to understand what she was asking. He nodded then, swinging his legs back onto the bed as she scooted over, giving him the space he needed. She grabbed her blanket, pulling it back over the two of them as she turned on her side. Not much later, she felt Hiccup's one arm wrap itself around her waist while his other made its way underneath her pillow.

She felt him exhale softly against her back before he nuzzled her braid aside, resting his smooth cheek against the base of her neck. He pulled her a little closer to him, resting his groin against her lower back. She could still feel part of his arousal there. She smiled to herself. At least, him wanting her was still not a problem.

She searched with her right arm, finding the spot where his hand was set on her stomach. She softly traced the lines on it with her thumb, caressing his fingers as he held her close. After their 'adventure' in Phantom Island's lake, they'd pleasured each other a few times more. But they'd never done this, just lying in bed together. Making each other writhe and scream, that was something sexual. This, however, Hiccup just holding her tight, the steady rise and fall of his chest against her back, that was a thing for couples. For lovers. And although they'd showed or formulated their care for each other in other ways, neither of them had spoken those three words.  _I love you_. Nor had one of them exclusively pledged themselves to the other.

It could wait, she decided as she felt Hiccup shift, positioning himself more comfortably. It was slightly awkward as he was still wearing his full suit of armour, but she wasn't going to complain about it.

She wasn't ready to tell him yet either. She cared for him. And she felt like he cared for her. Love, however, was something bigger than that. And she didn't know if she was quite there yet.

"You know," Hiccup murmured against the back of her head, interrupting her thoughts. "I actually wasn't done with my sketch yet."

She rolled her eyes and kicked his shin. "Shut up."

He chuckled, pressing a kiss against the base of her neck. He stayed quiet after that and she listened as his breathing slowed. Having him against her like this, holding her, she really couldn't feel like she needed anything else. And with that thought in her head, a soft smile on her face, she let sleep take her again.

* * *

Astrid woke to the light of morning making its way in through the hut's windows. In the corner, Toothless and Stormfly were already lazily poking each other, seemingly done resting. And around her waist, she once again found the combination of dragon scale and leather that belonged to Hiccup's arm.

She wriggled slightly so she could turn her head and check if he was awake. She fell straight into his soft green eyes, a lot more focus to them than to her own. She wouldn't be surprised if Hiccup had been awake for quite some time already. But he'd stayed with her nevertheless.

"Good morning," he smiled as he propped himself up, his lips gently touching hers.

"You too," she murmured against his lips, burying her hands in his hair and deepening their kiss. Hiccup moaned softly in response, his hand tenderly caressing the curve of her hip as he climbed on top of her.

They just laid there for a while, kissing and touching each other until Toothless got impatient. He pushed against Hiccup's side with his snout, to which Hiccup responded by pushing the dragon away with one of his legs. "Yeah, bud, we'll go flying in a minute."

Toothless wasn't having it however, grumbling loudly before he gave Hiccup one particularly hard nudge as the boy's leg was still in the air.

"What the –" were the last words Hiccup uttered as he promptly toppled over, falling over the edge of the bed and onto the wooden floor. She couldn't contain her laughter as she caught the exasperated expression on his face. He looked thoroughly unimpressed with his current situation, his limbs awkwardly spread out on the floor.

Toothless paraded over to him, softly swatting him with his tail. "Yeah, yeah, good job ruining the mood, bud," Hiccup murmured as he got back up to his feet. "Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile."

"Seems like he doesn't like to share you in the morning," she giggled, getting out of bed herself too and fixing her clothes and braid.

"Guess over five years of just me and him made him spoilt," Hiccup agreed as he gathered his stuff from the floor. The way he nonchalantly said that made her heart skip a beat.  _So to him, it wasn't just him and Toothless anymore._

After Hiccup had told Toothless he had to be patient as there'd be enough flying later that day, they made their way back into the village. Atali quickly greeted them as soon as she saw they were awake. She seemed less concerned than she had been the day before, although there was still a sense of worry about her face. But Astrid didn't feel she had to do something to relieve that. If anything, she understood why Hiccup hadn't wanted a lot to do with them over the past years.

They were offered breakfast, which they spent together, sitting on one of the village's wooden bridges. Afterwards, they checked on their Razorwhip, who they were assured would heal from her wounds with enough time and care. Deciding to leave her behind as she was in good care, they made their way to the outskirts of the village, preparing to leave. Hiccup didn't seem to want to stick around much longer. And she wasn't going to argue against that.

Atali came to see them off, her lips pursed in silence as she watched the two of them interact with their dragons. Hiccup almost outright ignored her as he checked the stirrups of Toothless' saddle, fiddling around with them to see if they were working properly. Eventually however, she called his name. "Hiccup."

He looked up at the Wingmaiden, crossing his arms and pulling up his eyebrow. After how affectionate he'd been the past few weeks, it was strange to her to see him give someone a cold shoulder this badly.

"I'm sorry," Atali spoke softly, the look in her eyes seeming genuine. "For the things we didn't do."

Hiccup nodded slightly. His eyes turned milder, but he still didn't give her a response.

"If you ever need anything," Atali continued, showing an uncomfortable smile. "We're here for you."

Hiccup smiled only a little as he nodded to her, but his gaze didn't copy the emotion. "And if you ever need me, you know where to find me."

"Thank you, Hiccup," Atali softly responded before turning to her. "It was good to meet you, Astrid." Her voice was heavy, loaded, her eyes conveying the same emotion.

She looked back at the Wingmaiden as she climbed on top of Stormfly, Hiccup watching her from the corner of his eyes. "Likewise."

With that last exchange of 'pleasantries', they took back off into the skies, leaving Wingmaiden Island behind them. It was strange, she felt, that they hadn't even spent a day there. These women were probably closer to Hiccup in their philosophies than any other tribe in the Archipelago. And she was sure Hiccup and they could help each other to a great extent. But he clearly did not want to have that kind of a relationship with them. And she couldn't blame him.

They flew as fast as they could, only taking breaks when they really had to. Hiccup was uncannily silent both in the air and on the ground, his thoughts somewhere else. She tried not to think too much of it; maybe he was just still tired.

They arrived on Phantom Island when night had already fallen, the volcano's interior dark and quiet. She landed back with Hiccup in his Nest, but he didn't pay attention to her as he got off Toothless, walking straight to his desk instead and going through some papers.

"Hiccup?" she tried, petting Stormfly before walking up to him.

"You asked Atali about me, didn't you?" his voice pierced the air, an iciness in it he hadn't aimed at her for weeks.

"I did," she told him, deciding that lying wouldn't do her any favours. Besides, she didn't feel she'd done anything wrong.

"Thought so," he murmured.

"Why is that bothering you now?" she asked. "You seemed fine this morning."

"It was the way she looked at you when we left. It's, well…" He dragged one of his hands through his hair, his body tense. "What did she say?"

"Nothing bad, if that's what you're worried about," she answered truthfully. She walked up to him, grabbing his shoulders and turning him towards her so she could see his face. There was a cold, a distance to his expression that seemed to soften as she intertwined his fingers with his.

"She told me they were the ones who found you after you'd been burnt. That they took care of you through your recovery, that..." She hesitated for a moment, swallowing the more painful details Atali had shared as she saw Hiccup's face twitch at her mention of the memory. He didn't need that. "That you left after they told you you couldn't stay with them permanently. And that your relationship hasn't been good since."

She considered telling him about the way she'd told the Wingmaiden off for that, but dropped it. She didn't think it'd be consoling. She softly rubbed the back of his hands with her thumbs, earning her a soft squeeze in response. "And she asked me to take care of you."

Hiccup instantly pulled away, his gaze turning into a scowl. "I don't need anyone to take care of me. So whatever you two are planning, don't bother."

"We're not planning anything, Hiccup," she told him sternly. "She simply asked me to do what she felt she hadn't properly done. She was worried about you."

"Bit late for that," he scoffed, his voice as icy as his glare. "I don't need you two fussing over me together."

"We're not working together."

"Sure, you're not," Hiccup sarcastically remarked.

She returned his glare. "Stop assuming things. Because that's exactly what I told her too. That I doubted you'd ever accept her apology, and that I didn't disagree with that."

Hiccup was about to open his mouth, but she held up her finger and silenced him. Seems like he needed to hear it after all. "Let me finish. I told her that I will never be able to understand that they let you leave while you were so badly hurt and traumatised. That it was wrong for them to give you the impression you'd found a home, only to take it away. That no rule, no tradition can justify abandoning a 16-year old boy."

"I left myself," Hiccup countered.

"And you can't be blamed for that. They never should've let you go. They should've taken care of you, but they didn't." She took a step back towards him, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "And I didn't tell her I'd take care of you because she asked me to. But because I want to."

She got up on her toes and kissed him then, long and deeply. It took Hiccup a few seconds to respond, eventually encircling her waist and pulling her closer to him. They were both panting as they separated.

"I really don't need you to worry over me," he told her. "I can take care of myself just fine."

"I know," she told him, a smile spreading across her face. "But I will. Blast me out of the sky for caring if you want to."

She giggled as he rolled his eyes at her for throwing his own quote back at him. Then, more serious, she continued: "I just wish you would've told me this on the way there. Would've saved me the trouble of asking." As much as hearing about Hiccup from someone else helped her create a more complete picture of him, she much preferred to hear his stories from him himself.

"Why?"

That took her off-guard. He'd been telling her stories as long as they'd known each other, without ever asking that question. It'd seemed so natural for him to share his history piece by piece in that way.

"I don't know…" she started. "It gives me context, I suppose."

The kind of cold laugh she hadn't heard since she'd come to Phantom Island escaped Hiccup's throat. "Because I definitely need context, don't I?"

She looked at him, finding a twisted and wry smile on Hiccup's face. It made her feel uncomfortable, and she took a few steps back, untangling herself from his grip. "What do you mean?"

"It's hard to accept me otherwise, isn't it?" he bit, the frigidity of his voice making its way into her heart. "Without my tragic backstory, I'm just the guy who haunts the island you love _so deeply_."

"Hiccup, where the Hel is this coming from?" she frowned, defensively wrapping her arms around herself.

"Sure, you claim to care for me now," Hiccup elaborated. "But care is not the same as pity, Astrid. Pity doesn't get me anywhere. Berk pitied me all my life. The Wingmaidens pitied me. But never enough to actually  _care_."

"Hiccup, you're being unreasonable, you…" she started as she watched his expression darken.

"You didn't care for me until I showed you who I was. Don't think I don't know that," he spat. "The lost of heir of Berk, tragically scarred and twisted. But you had no choice but to team up with me and to come here, gradually growing to pity me. But that's not care, Astrid, that's not –"

"Oh shut up, Hiccup!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the cave. "That's not true, and you know it as well as I do! So I don't know what you're trying to do here, but I'm not going to let you drag me along in it!"

She walked up to him, eyes blazing. Hiccup backed away defensively, his eyes big as she fumed. "I don't care for people out of pity. I don't  _kiss_  people out of pity. I don't let people do the things you do to me out of pity. I do that because I want to." She poked his chest, stressing her words. "Because. I. Care. For. You."

"Okay, you may want that now, but –"

"Oh, don't even start it, dragon boy," she hissed, Hiccup's back hitting a wall as she cornered him further. "You think I only care for you now? Think again! Back in the arena –"

"You cared very much about getting my head on a stick, I know," Hiccup argued.

"Gods, for a guy whose main occupation requires him to be incredibly observant, you're so  _blind_! Or stubborn and bitter, more likely!" she shot back. "Do I really have to remind you of that night in the arena, Hiccup? When you, out of nowhere, decided to show yourself and  _kissed_ me?"

She closed the distance between them even further, looking him straight in the eye. "I don't know what that meant to you, but it sure as Hel meant something to me. I kissed you back because I wanted to kiss you." She pressed her lips to his, hard and demanding, but drew away before he had the chance to reciprocate.

"Because even back then, I was drawn to you. And that didn't have anything to do with you being the heir to Berk. That didn't have anything to do with your past and all the horror and sadness you've had to go through. I didn't know all of that back then. Gods, I didn't even know what you looked like!" She scoffed, shaking her head. "I wanted  _you_ , was drawn to you because of  _you_ , because of your stories, because of everything you showed me about dragons, because of who youhad shown me  _you_  were."

"I didn't just come to the arena at night to see Stormfly!" she added. "But because I wanted to talk to you too! Because you fascinated me. And sure, that fascination turned into much more once I got to know who you actually were, but don't you dare to tell me that I had no interest in you back then. Because even though I refused to admit it to myself back then because I shouldn't have felt that way, I certainly did."

"You just wanted to know who the Phantom was," Hiccup countered, but his steely glare seemed to soften.

"I did," she nodded. "But not because I wanted to catch him. That was just what I told myself. I wanted to know who he was. Who  _you_  were."

She reached up to him, cupping his face. Internally, she sighed with relief as he let her. "Your stories, the stories that are actually about you, sure, it makes me feel terrible that you had to go through all of that." She softly stroked his scarred cheek. "I wish I could take it away, the pain you've gone through. Atali, she told me…"

She expected Hiccup to tense up again, but instead he wrapped his arms back around her, pulling her close as she continued speaking. "I thought I had a sense of how badly your burns must've hurt. But she told me how horrible it had actually been, that it hurt so much you asked them to kill you, to end your suffering…"

"Toothless needed me," he murmured, but she felt his hold on her tighten.

"But it's not about that. I don't want you to tell me those stories because they make me care for you. I just want to know them because they are  _about you_. And there's still so much I don't know." She looked at him, meeting his soft green gaze. "I don't care for who you are because of them. I care for who you are  _in spite of them_."

"A boy who keeps running away only to find new problems elsewhere," Hiccup remarked bitterly, but the spite in his voice seemed to have passed. "Marked for life by those choices."

She shook her head. "No. Anyone would've run away after going through that. Most people wouldn't even have been alive anymore, let alone have the resolve to continue to fight for what they believe in." She touched his cheek once more, trailing the lines on it. "Your scars, they –"

"Represent my failures," Hiccup completed, but he didn't move away.

"The opposite. They tell me how strong you are. Because you manage to live with them. In spite of them." She poked his chest once more. "And  _that's_ the Hiccup I care for. And no one, not the Wingmaidens, nor Berk, nor  _you_  can tell me to start, or stop caring. Because I already do. And you're just going to have to find a way to deal with that."

She only caught a glimpse of the flash in his green eyes before he kissed her, the touch of his lips rough and demanding. She buried her hands in his hair, pulling him even closer as his hands roamed her body, their tongues intertwining.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you," Hiccup murmured as they separated, burying his nose in her hair. "I shouldn't assume you're the same as everyone else. Nothing could be further from the truth, after all."

"Well, talking about my feelings isn't exactly my strongest point," she joked.

"You're already good at so many things," Hiccup chuckled. "And I'm not exactly exemplary myself."

She looked up at him, finding a playful glance in his eyes. "We're a mess, aren't we?"

"Couldn't put it better myself," Hiccup smiled before leaning in to kiss her once more. "I could tell you the rest of what happened with the Wingmaidens, but I think you've pretty much heard everything already."

She took his hands in hers, giving him a soft smile. "Just tell me what you want to tell me."

Hiccup seemed to think for a bit before he nodded and dragged her to the pile of furs that made up his bed. He sat down, holding open his arms and inviting her into his embrace, which she gladly accepted.

"They found me after I'd been burnt," Hiccup started as he wrapped his arm around her, allowing her to lean her head on his shoulder. "I honestly don't remember much of what happened after that. I spent such a long time not knowing if I was awake or asleep, constantly drifting between unconsciousness and the excruciating pain that'd shake me back into existence. The only things I remember are the sounds of my own screams, begging anyone who came close enough to make it stop, to end it… And Toothless' face."

She glanced at the dragon in the corner, whose ears jolted up at the sound of his name. He darted over to them, happily joining their cuddling session by putting his head on both of their laps. She smiled, softly scratching the dragon as Hiccup lovingly stroked his scales.

"I knew I couldn't leave him. I love him, and he needs me. He can't fly without me, so ending my life would've been the most selfish thing I could've done. So I tried my hardest to hold on. And eventually, I started to recover."

"That took a lot more time than I'd anticipated though," Hiccup continued. "I was scrawny enough already before I got there, but spending such a long time in bed had weakened the few muscles I did have. Even walking was problematic, but Toothless and the Wingmaidens were there for me every literal step along the way."

She took another look at the black dragon in her lap. Toothless didn't just need Hiccup. Hiccup needed him too. "It got me involved in daily life on the island. I'd watch the Wingmaidens take care of their Razorwhips and they eventually allowed me to help. And I was pretty good at it, I'd say. The only thing that set me apart from them was that I didn't have a dragon on my back myself. And of course, my gender."

She could feel Hiccup's arm around her tighten and she grabbed his other hand, softly stroking his skin. "The island had started to feel like home. And I figured I could stay around there, dedicate myself to helping out with the Razorwhips and exploring the nearby area on Toothless in my own time. Protect them from outside forces, venture out to islands they couldn't reach themselves if they needed anything. Things like that."

"But they wouldn't let you."

She could feel Hiccup's head move against the top of hers. "I told Atali that, told her about all of the things I could do to help out around the island. And that's when she decided to tell me that I could never be one of them. Because I'd been born as a man."

He scoffed. "I stayed around there for months and I'd been up on my feet again for weeks already. I enjoyed staying there, and I really wanted it to last. But of course, no one had ever told me that their hospitality was only temporary. Until then. And after that, even though she hadn't told me to leave right then, I just couldn't stay…"

"I get that," she concurred.

"I was done with it. Berk, Wingmaiden Island, the Archipelago, all of it. They'd only ever caused me pain. So I left for the fabled mainland of Europe, hoping to find a new home there, a place where Toothless and I could be accepted."

"But you never found it," she concluded. "Else you wouldn't have come back."

"Indeed," Hiccup softly nodded. "It took a trip to the other side of the world for me to realize I had to stop looking for a home. Because it required me to find people like me. Who'd be willing to accept Toothless too. And that simply doesn't exist. There are no people like me. So I had to make my own." She felt him lift his arms and watched as he gestured widely at the cave around them. "And here I am."

"I wouldn't exactly call this place homely though," she joked, flashing him a playful smirk.

"Oh?" Hiccup smiled back. "Care to share what exactly you think is wrong with it?"

"Well, for starters, you hardly have any furniture," she teased, reaching up to trace the lines of his face. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Toothless looking up at the two of them. He let out a displeased grumble before lifting himself up from their laps and moving away. For a dragon, he was absolutely stellar at reading human body language.

"Don't need any." Hiccup sealed her lips with a kiss before pushing her down into the furs. "I think this does the job."

"Having proper blankets and a pillow wouldn't hurt though," she smiled as she kissed him, her body arching into his as he traced her curves with his hands.

"You know, it's funny," Hiccup murmured as he traced her neck with his nose, his hot breath tingling on her skin. "Because I definitely recall buying that not too long ago. But I think someone stole them from me."

She smirked as Hiccup started to work on releasing her from her shoulder pads and her hood. Having his hands on her again brought back the memories of the night before. "I suppose I could move them up here."

Hiccup paused, looking up at her with a frown. "You don't need to do that, I can sleep like this just fine."

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his face, moving it up so she could look straight into his eyes. "I meant moving _all_  of my stuff up here, silly."

"Oh." Hiccup's eyes grew bigger as he seemed to realize what she meant. She was about to make a comment about how she could almost see the gears in his head turn, but his lips were back on hers before she could, his kiss hard and bruising.

"Should I take that as a 'yes'?" she giggled after Hiccup released her to press a series of kisses to her cheek.

"Yes," Hiccup stammered as his lips found hers once more. "Gods, yes."

She kissed him back as enthusiastically. It was silly, felt silly for her to get as excited over them starting to sleep together after they were already so heavily sexually involved with each other. But for the both of them, it was as big a step as any. From  _them_ to  _us_.

"Guess I'll go get my things then," she decided as they broke their kiss. She propped herself up on her elbows, trying to push Hiccup off her and herself to her feet.

"Not so fast," Hiccup told her, aptly using his height and strength advantage to push her back down. A lopsided smirk appeared on his face as he moved down, relieving her of her skirt and pulling at her leggings. "I'm going to give you a proper thank you first."

"Hiccup, we'll have time enough for –" She started, but her objections evaporated as his fingers found the spot between her legs, already damp with arousal. She let him seal her lips with a kiss as he rid her of her underwear, silencing the cry that escaped from her throat as one of his fingers found its way inside her.

And it wouldn't be the last time that night he drew that sound from her, or she from him, the two of them only taking a break to actually go and pick up her stuff. Until they finally fell asleep, naked, content and in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least I didn't leave you guys with a cliffhanger! See you again in two weeks!


	26. Entr'Acte - Alpha Comes to Berk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! It's been a long two weeks and my exams were tough - thanks to all of you who wished me good luck! - so I had to rush quite a lot to get this done. I don't think it's my best work but I don't think the chapter turned out too badly either.
> 
> Then, on another note; I have been offered the amazing opportunity to host my own channel on A Thing Of Vikings' Discord server, which is currently expanding to also become more of a general HTTYD fandom community. The server itself is filled with lovely people and my particular channel will be a place to talk about my fics, primarily Phantom. So if you're looking for insights, want to ask me questions or just want to talk about Phantom with me and other readers, this is the place to be! And the invite link can be found on my Tumblr, aleteia-ff!

Stoick the Vast would've liked things to go back to normal after his encounter with the Phantom. But they did not.

He had never considered himself to be someone who was easily intimidated. Because he wasn't. After all, he had seen enough in his lifetime, battled enough villains. It was hard for him to be impressed. And the Phantom certainly hadn't impressed him. But he had shaken him in a way no enemy of Berk had shaken him before. And he couldn't quite put his finger on the reason why. Perhaps because he was madder than any man he'd met before.

Life on Berk itself had gone on as it normally did. Just like how the village had gotten 'used' to the war with the dragons – as much as one could get used to war – the Phantom's presence had become part of their daily routine. Not that that meant that the Berkians wouldn't like to see him gone – there wasn't a doubt in his mind that his fellow villagers would like to see the Phantom's head on a stick as much as he did – but just like how they'd adapted to their houses and farms being destroyed by dragons, the damage the Phantom did was something they just had to adjust to.

To say he didn't like that was an understatement. The dragons were one thing, but the Phantom was another. The Phantom was a man. After his encounter with him in the tunnels, he couldn't be more sure about that. And he couldn't allow himself, nor his village – especially his village – to live under the tyranny, or the terror, of another man.

"We just have to find a way to catch him, Gobber," he argued, spending another bit of scarce free time in his friend's crowded shop.

The blacksmith turned towards him. "You got another note?"

Stoick smiled wryly. Gobber knew him too well. It'd been the same as the one he got almost every other day these weeks.  _She's fine. I hope you intend to keep it that way. You know what I want. How long until you realize you have no choice but to concede?_

Some days, that message would arrive in one complete note. On others, the Phantom would scatter the sentences, spread them out across separate pieces of paper. But it was always the same message. Taunting him, questioning Stoick's strength and resolve. He wouldn't let that get to him.

"The same as always," he conceded.

"It's kind of chilling, isn't it, still?" Gobber muttered, looking for something in the back of the shop. "The way he talked to you. Still does. Using Astrid and all."

"It's a tactic more than anything," he grumbled. "He's been telling us to give in to his demands for over a year, but we never have. So I guess this spring, he's decided to switch it up." He groaned and sat down on one of the stools in the forge. "Can't imagine he's too happy with us finding his underground lair either."

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

"Wonder what?" he frowned.

"Whether we were meant to find it."

He looked at his friend, creasing his eyebrows. "You don't seriously think that?"

"At this point, I don't know anymore," Gobber shrugged. "Judging by that wonderful exchange you had with him, it didn't seem like he minded your presence there."

"Or he just tried to play it off that way because he doesn't want us to think we're ahead of him," he countered.

"If only we knew," Gobber muttered. "Would make this whole ordeal a lot simpler."

"I can't wait for the day we've gotten rid of that maniac," he grumbled. "And with any luck, he'll take the dragons with him."

"Those beasts have been here for way longer than he has, though," Gobber pointed out.

"For all we know, he's not the first Phantom." The thought had crossed his mind before. "There could've been generations of them. This one is just the most persistent. Or most cocky."

"That's not the kind of thought that'll make me sleep better at night," his friend told him, visibly shuddering. "I'd prefer to think that once we're done with him, that'll be the last of his kind."

"So do I," he agreed. He leant his head in his hands, overthinking the task ahead. "But how do you catch a ghost?"

"Was there anything in what he said to you the other night? A weakness of some sorts?" Gobber asked as he peered at the bolt he was currently holding with his prosthetic.

"Hardly," he groaned. "Just taunts."

"Aye," his friend nodded, recalling the conversation they'd had the morning after that particular raid. "He said something about Valka and Hiccup too, didn't he?"

Stoick almost shivered at the thought.  _You lost your wife, your only son, and now the girl you incredibly naïvely hoped would one day become your successor_. The Phantom had no right to talk about any of them like that.

"It irks me that he knows about them," Gobber continued.

"Me too," he agreed. "But it's not like the Archipelago doesn't know. Or…" He swallowed before his next words left his mouth. "He knows because he forced Astrid to tell him about me."

"Let's hope that's all it is," the blacksmith mumbled.

"He's not from here, Gobber," he said resolutely. There was no way anyone from Berk could be that vile. "And all other tribes deny knowing his identity as well. He's a handful to them too, after all."

"Except for the Berserkers."

"Yeah, well, if Dagur wanted war, he would just sail here. Sending someone to torment us for almost two years would be unlike the Berserkers," he pointed out. "Say what you want about the hot-headed boy, at least he does things the proper Viking way. Instead of hiding in the shadows. Besides, they never get raids in the first place."

"Lucky bastards," Gobber grumbled as he went to search through some boxes. "Did the Phantom kidnap anyone from any of the other islands though?"

"Not that I've heard, no." He slowly shook his head. "Last letter I got was from Alvin. Who reported that things were the same as always. Dreadful and terrible."

"Outcast Island doesn't exactly need the Phantom to cause that kind of atmosphere though," Gobber quipped, which he met with a slight curl of his lips. After that, his friend continued, more silently: "It does seem like the Phantom has a bone to pick with us in particular, doesn't it?"

Stoick didn't answer, but just sighed deeply instead. A silence hung between them after that as Gobber fumbled around with the few spare swords they still had. His eyes surveyed the forge, taking stock of what the Phantom hadn't destroyed or sabotaged. It really wasn't much.

"How many traps do we still have?" he asked.

Gobber looked up, creasing his bushy eyebrows. "What kind?"

"Anything. As long as they can catch a man."

One of the blacksmith's eyebrows went up. "You're not going to try to find him in the tunnels again, are you?"

"I am."

"Your last attempt wasn't exactly successful," Gobber argued.

"Which is why I need the traps."

Gobber eyed him warily. "And what are you planning to do with those? Just cover the entire tunnel system with them?"

"Exactly. He's bound to step in one of them if there are enough. No matter how clever he is," he explained.

"You don't know that," Gobber countered, pointing his prosthetic at him.

"I do," he insisted.

"No, you don't."

"Then what would you have me do instead, Gobber?" he asked, raising his voice in frustration. "I can't keep letting him get away with this. Destroying our village. Kidnapping our people. So unless you have a better idea…?"

He looked at his friend, who paused for a minute until he eventually shook his head.

"I have to try," he continued, his voice softer this time. "At least one more time."

"I'm just not sure if Berk can spare them," Gobber told him. "Both you and the traps."

"Well, with the gods' blessing, this will be the last time it'll be like that. Ever." He looked up at his friend. "Will you help me set them up? The next raid should be due in a few days, at most."

A smile appeared on Gobber's face before he gently nodded. "Of course, Chief."

* * *

No more than a week later, Stoick the Vast found himself in the tunnels underneath Berk. With even more determination than last time. But also, although he hated to admit it, with more wariness.

Occasionally, he could feel the caves around him tremble, telling him there'd been another explosion on the surface. He tried to block it out as best as he could. Just one more time. That's what he'd told himself last time as well. But this time, he'd get the Phantom for sure.

Gobber and he had worked every day, placing traps in the Phantom's tunnel system. Ideally, they would've set them up the night before the raid, but that was the main issue with the dragons' habits; they remained unpredictable. So instead, they'd opted for placing the traps – nets, leg-holds, anything they could find – in secluded places, moving them every day. Hoping the Phantom wouldn't notice. Praying that the quantity of traps would make it so that he failed to locate at least one.

Stoick knew well enough that it was a longshot. But it was their only shot. And he just couldn't resign himself to no longer trying.

So, he kept slowly pacing through the tunnels, listening for a sound, a twitch, anything at all. It made him uncomfortable. This wasn't supposed to be how he fought his battles. He should be on a battlefield, fending off enemies, leading his people towards their glory. Not hiding in caves, looking for a man who didn't want to be found. Although at this point in his life, he also wouldn't mind not having to fight anymore at all. He'd done that enough. Lost enough.

Occupied by his thoughts, he felt the cold of the underground space settle into his bones, the humidity of the air slightly dampening his cloak. He had no idea how much time had passed. How many more hours he had to kill before he could lay his eyes on the people of Berk again. He wondered if they'd noticed his absence yet. And if they sought anything behind it.

_Clunk_.

The sound echoed through the tunnels, bouncing off the walls until it reached his ears. One of the traps had snapped shut. Someone had touched it.

With his pacing, his breathing accelerated as he made his way through the tunnels towards the source of the noise. He knew the rough location of all of the traps, but the thought of making his way there in the dark still made him anxious. Because he didn't know what he would find. A man? Or a monster?

When he reached the trap however, he found nothing. It had been a simple leg-hold trap. And it had caught nothing but empty air between its jaws.

An uneasy feeling settled into his bones. If the Phantom had let this one go off, what did that mean for –

His thoughts were interrupted by another sound. Another trap. He rushed towards it, but this time the space was empty. Frowning, he crouched down to the ground, carefully scanning it with his fingers but making sure he wouldn't get caught himself. But before he could finish his survey, something else echoed through the caves.

"You don't have to bother with that one, I already got rid of it."

There was no courtesy in the Phantom's voice as he spoke those words. Just his familiar, mocking tone.

"And this one." Another trap slamming shut.

There was a pause, before a laugh followed. "Even though it looks incredibly silly, I commend you for the creativity of this particular placement."

Stoick moved again, chasing after the Phantom's voice. But it moved quicker than he did. Until he'd heard not one, not two, but  _all_ of their traps snap shut or be cut down. And then there was nothing to fill the tunnels but the Phantom's manic laughter. Which moved around constantly, making it impossible for him to locate the maniac.

"You know, as much as I appreciate you setting all of this up, I don't exactly have a problem with pests down here. Except for  _you_."

"Likewise," he grumbled.

"Oh Chief, you wound me," the Phantom quipped. "So, where would you like me to put these things? I could use them as scrap metal, but with how well your blacksmith has been  _serving_ me, I might be better off just returning them to you. It's your call."

"No one on Berk serves you."

The Phantom laughed mockingly. "Sure, keep telling yourself that. This island is mine. Just admit it."

"I am Berk's chief," he answered, determined.

"Oh yes, and that really means a lot, doesn't it? Tell me,  _Chief_ , how are you protecting your people? From dragons? From  _me_?" The Phantom chuckled. "Oh, that's right, you aren't. You've never been able to oppose me. And you never will be. So give up."

"I will never give in to the demands of a madman like you," he spat.

"So you're just going to keep going until Berk can no longer hold on? Until you're forced to leave this island because people refuse to live here any longer? Or, you know, because they feel they need a change of leadership? I have a very busy schedule, but if asked, I'm sure I could make room. Some might even say it's what I was  _born_  to do."

"You're outright delusional. That wouldn't ever happen!" he roared.

"And I can see why they call you Stoick," the Phantom scoffed. "Gods, you're stubborn. But the delusion's all yours. Do you really think that if I would march in here tomorrow, promising that I'd settle for a more peaceful reign instead, that none of your  _loyal subjects_  would find that idea appealing?"

Before he could lash out, the Phantom continued. "But don't worry, I'm not interested in ruling a tribe of bloodthirsty, empty-headed Vikings. So there's no reason to be afraid. Or rather, no reason to fear me more than you already do."

"You don't frighten me!" he roared.

"If you ask me, the very fact that you're here at all means I do. Why else would you waste your time down here in the tunnels, instead of helping your people on the surface?" the Phantom teased.

"Me wanting to see your head on a stick has nothing to do with being scared. You're a nuisance. And I squash those."

"And I really do feel  _thoroughly obliterated_. Some days, I don't even know how to function under the enormous weight of your acts against me." The gigantic amount of sarcasm in the Phantom's voice made his blood boil. "Can you remind me what those were again?"

"Shut your mouth," he bit.

"But I so enjoy these conversations. After all, I don't think you and I ever had proper talks," the Phantom cooed.

"If this were a proper talk, you'd show yourself."

"I think I'm quite clear enough like this, thank you."

"What do you want," he hissed.

"This again? I thought we'd been over that. But I can refresh your memory. Leave this godsforsaken island, give it back to the dragons. Sail south, to the mainland, where your kind belongs. Never show your face here again. Or, alternatively, stop killing dragons. Just chase them away. It's not very difficult. Even you could do it."

"Never."

"Then I suppose it's option three instead; stay here until you've failed so thoroughly that either you, or Berk as a whole, crumbles. Because you'll fail. You'll fail all of them. Just like you failed Astrid Hofferson."

He balled his fists, wishing he could throw them in the Phantom's face. "Listen up you little – "

"You know," the Phantom interrupted him, his voice echoing loudly through the caves. "I do really feel like me taking the girl has created more of a bond between us, you know? After all, we never talked before that! But I get it. You are quite fond of her, and I… Well, I don't think I need to complete that, do I?" He paused, filling the caves with a wicked laugh. "If me taking another one of your people would bring us even closer together, I'd gladly do that."

He heard the Phantom clap his hands together before he continued. The sound was slightly muffled, but still clearly audible. "Do you have any preferences? I've taken a liking to your blacksmith, but I wouldn't dare to tear him away from his equipment. After all, he's taken so much work off my hands. Is there anyone else you're particularly fond of? I would prefer a guy. As  _great_ as Astrid is, there are just some things that… Well, you probably know. Or don't you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get personal, I –"

"Be! Quiet!" he yelled, raising his voice as the Phantom's rambling echoed through the caves. He was met by the man's mocking laughter, which made him clench his teeth together. The Phantom was playing with him. And no one had the right to make a fool out of him.

"You are not taking anyone else from this island. You will return Astrid to us. You will leave us alone. And you will take your dragons with you," he demanded.

"Or else? You'll  _ground_ me, like I'm a naughty little kid? Or will you kill me? Capture me and lock me up? Hunt me down so you can put my head on my spike? I thought that's what you've been trying to do for the past years. And how successful has that been?"

"I won't –"

"Yeah, you won't let me get away with this. But I will. So once more: Stop killing dragons. Or leave this island altogether. Those are my only two offers. I won't bother to come down here again, because you clearly have no intention of negotiating."

"Neither do you," he bit back. "You've only ever given me an ultimatum."

"And so have you. But I don't think I'm the one who has to make the compromise here. I am not the one whose people are at the mercy of a ghost. Of a  _Phantom_." The Phantom paused for a moment, lowering the volume of his voice. "I could be much worse. And I don't think you want to experience that."

"Don't you dare threaten my people!" he roared.

"Please allow me to give you one advice,  _Chief_. Not that you will listen, because, well, from what I've gathered so far, you never do." The Phantom briefly paused, the tone of his voice even more ominous as he resumed. "Save what you can of yourself and your people. Before there's nothing left to save."

There was a silence after that, nothing more than a slight rustle and Stoick's own laboured breathing echoing through the tunnels. Then, the Phantom's voice pierced the silence once more, an iciness and possessiveness in it that made him feel colder than he had all night.

"And I will  _never_  give Astrid back."

No matter how often Stoick called out towards the fiend or taunted him after that, he received no reply. Once again, the Phantom had vanished.

* * *

As soon as Astrid properly moved into the Phantom's Nest, the weeks started to fly by. Staying with Hiccup was, as marvellous as it was, in all honesty, inconvenient. Due to Hiccup's nightly escapades as the Phantom, his sleeping habits were pretty much the complete opposite of her own. He had a tendency to wake up in the late afternoon and to only return to bed in the early morning, which was only a few hours away from when she'd get up to train the dragons again.

So, she certainly couldn't say her quality of sleep nor the amount of sleep she got had improved ever since she'd started sharing her bed with Hiccup. But she honestly couldn't care less. Because nothing could compare to the warmth and comfort she felt when Hiccup would slip into bed at the end of the night. Waking her only slightly as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, whispering sweet nothings in her ear until she drifted away into sleep again. And she had to admit she'd spent more hours lazing in bed than usual, just so she could look at the way Hiccup's lips were slightly parted as he slept, his youthful face handsome and unguarded. And so far, he hadn't complained when she'd woken him with a kiss because the sight of him became too much.

It had been on one of those lazy mornings that she'd asked him whether he didn't mind that they weren't having actual sex. Hiccup had paused then, removing his lips from where he was sucking slightly on the skin of her neck and moving up to devour her with his eyes instead.

"As much as I'd love to have you," he'd told her as he'd suggestively pushed his hips against hers, letting her feel how hard he was. "To fuck you right here, right now; you told me you weren't ready. So, no, I don't mind. I've had sex often enough in the past. This is different; this is about  _you._  I want to be with  _you_. And like I told you before, I'd have you any way you want me to."

He'd sealed her lips with a kiss then, intense and passionate before he'd moved his lips to her ear. "And when you  _are_ ready, I have every intention of making sure you won't regret it."

The suggestive tone in his voice had set her ablaze, and they'd both finished shortly after, but it'd also put her more at ease. There was no pressure on her from Hiccup's side. No pressure on her from anyone, really. There, on Phantom Island, it was just Hiccup and her. With no one to judge them, or to care about what they did. The two of them was all that mattered. And their dragons.

Stormfly had not been sure of what to make of their new living situation at first, but eventually, she'd eased into staying in the Phantom's Nest as well, although she still occasionally spent her nights down in her old alcove. Which was fine; all Astrid had to do was call out to her from up there, and the Nadder would find her way back to her quickly enough. Toothless himself had quickly accepted their new inhabitants as well – as long as they didn't disturb his sleep too often.

She still spent most of her days working with the dragons, and things were getting significantly better every day. Habit and repetition had engraved their drills and patterns into the minds of Hiccup's lieutenants, and other dragons were starting to copy it, up to the point that it wasn't unusual to find herself and Stormfly leading a pack of up to fifty dragons flying around Phantom Island. Getting them to commit to coordinated actions such as attacking a target was proving to be more difficult, but their lieutenants were getting the hang of that. And the first other dragons were starting to follow.

Hiccup tried his best to be up in the afternoons when he was around Phantom Island, so she could get him up to speed with her progress. Luckily, since the lieutenants didn't have much trouble following Hiccup instead of her – after all, he was the one that had freed them and taken care of them until she came along – and neither did the other dragons, especially those he'd recently freed. And Hiccup himself picked things up incredibly quickly, although he never hesitated to tell her how impressed he was with her efforts. But it made her feel at ease seeing him so dedicated to their goal nevertheless.

Now that she was staying with him, there were other things she only now noticed Hiccup's dedication to as well. Whenever he wasn't outside, flying on Toothless or repeating some of her drills on his own, he would usually be at his desk, working on sketches, or practicing his movements with Inferno. It intrigued her, and she usually didn't comment on it, just watching him from the corner of her eye instead.

Today however was different from her usual routine. Instead of in Phantom Island's surroundings, she found herself out in the Archipelago's ocean. Watching a ship sail towards the horizon, which Berk was hidden behind. Only an hour away by dragon, at most.

Hiccup had come back with the news after the last raid; he'd found her parents. From what he could see, they were on their way back to Berk. But she'd asked him to show her nevertheless. So as he'd left for the Viking islands to prepare for the next raid, he'd led her to her parents' ship. And she'd be trailing them ever since, staying just out of sight so they wouldn't get suspicious.

She spent most of her time stationary in the air, or sitting on sea stacks. She hadn't truly realised how much faster dragons were than boats until now, and the difference was striking. It made her fantasize about what the Archipelago would look like if all of them moved by dragon. Which was an interesting way to kill time, if nothing else.

She'd debated flying down to the ship's deck a few times over the past few days, but she'd always hesitated. Her parents were on their way back to Berk. Knowing them, they'd only do that if they thought their daughter couldn't be found. So most likely, they thought she was dead. They could move on. And she didn't know whether now was the time to sweep in to explain what was actually going on. Whether she wanted to put her secret on their shoulders as well.

She hadn't achieved anything yet, after all. Sure, she'd found Berk's lost heir and fallen for him. But as far as Berk could see, she wasn't any closer to solving their problems with both the dragons and the Phantom. And she didn't know how much longer that would take. Why would she put that uncertainty on her parents' consciousness now as well, when they seemed to finally have found enough rest to return home to Berk? Where Stoick would take care of them. And Hiccup would never hurt them.

Most of all, she feared they just wouldn't understand. Because it had taken her so long to understand Hiccup as well. She didn't know if right now would be the right time to try to convince her parents, and the rest of their generation, that dragons were kind-hearted and good creatures. While their village was still being raided and haunted. There'd be a time for that after they'd beaten the queen. When they could actually prove they were right. When the odds weren't stacked against them.

Still, they were her parents. And Berk consisted of her people. And she couldn't deny that now, being so close to home, Berk only so slightly out of her reach, she didn't feel a pang of homesickness. She felt at home with Hiccup too. But it was just… different.

As if he'd heard her think about him, she was shaken from her thoughts by a Night Fury who levelled out next to her, his rider looking at her from behind the slits of her helmet before he lifted up his visor.

"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked, the look on his face one of concern.

She nodded at him before prodding Stormfly to move slightly above Toothless. Hiccup held his arms out towards her and caught her hands as she jumped onto Toothless' back. It was a habit they'd developed if they needed to talk – or briefly kiss – in the air; Hiccup couldn't separate himself from Toothless because of the tailfin, but she could easily move from dragon to other. It prevented them from having to scream against the Archipelago's winds. And allowed the two of them to be closer.

Hiccup hunched forward, allowing her to step over his shoulders and settle in front of him, between his legs. She leant back against him as his arms wrapped around her, his lips pressing to the top of her head as he did. When she looked up, she found him frowning at her, his eyes both soft and concerned.

"Babe." She smiled at him, lifting her hand to Hiccup's face and tracing the bag underneath his left eye. "You look terrible."

Hiccup slightly revealed the gap between his teeth. "And I'm happy to see you too."

"Looks like you need some sleep," she told him. "Was the raid last night?"

He nodded, wrapping his arms around her a little tighter. "Yes."

"Where?" She felt she already knew the answer.

"Berk."

"Guess my parents will not have to bother with that then for a few days, once they arrive," she mumbled. "That's something."

"Did you tell them?"

"No." She shook her head. "What if they won't understand?"

Hiccup didn't answer, but just pulled her closer instead, burying his nose in her hair and pressing his lips against the base of her neck. She knew he didn't know the answer to that question either.

They just sat there for a while longer, watching the ship on the horizon until Toothless got restless from staying in the same position for too long. She untangled herself from Hiccup's arms, twisting to grab his cheeks and kiss him tenderly before she got to her feet.

"Are you coming home, or?" Hiccup asked, his big green eyes following her movements as she called Stormfly over.

_Home_. Phantom Island. Not Berk.

She briefly glanced back at the ocean, biting her lower lip. "I think I'm staying for a while more."

Hiccup pursed his lips as he watched her jump back onto Stormfly. "Do you want me to stay as well, or?"

She averted her gaze as she settled back into Stormfly's saddle. "I'll be fine. You should probably go home so you can sleep."

"I really don't mind," Hiccup told her, his voice softer than usual.

She looked back at him. "Hiccup, please. I can take care of myself. Please do the same." When he frowned, she added: "If not for you, then for me. I'll be a few hours more, at most."

After a moment of silence, he finally nodded. "Alright. Just be careful."

"I always am," she smiled. "Thank you for checking on me."

Hiccup's eyes darted over her figure. "I…" Instead of finishing his sentence however, he shook his head, moving his visor down while he changed the position of Toothless' tailfin.

"See you soon." Then, with a big gust of wind produced by a few beats of Toothless' wings, he was gone.

She took Stormfly down to a nearby sea stack after that, letting her rest for a bit. After that, it only took an hour or so more for Berk to come into her view. And a few more hours before she watched her parents' ship dock into the village's harbour. From a distance. She couldn't bring herself to put Stormfly down on the island's cliffs. It just didn't feel right.

All in all, it felt strange to see Berk again. Not much had changed in the three and a half months she'd been gone. The village looked to be in worse shape than it had been before she left, as that'd been before the raids had started again. None of the watchtowers still stood upright and she didn't spot Berk's usual arrangement of siege weapons either. But by the looks of it, Hiccup hadn't touched anything they'd agreed he wouldn't destroy. He'd kept his word to her. Not that she'd ever truly doubted he would.

With that reassurance, and that of her parents being safely back on Berk, she flew away, leaving her island behind her. She'd come back there. She'd give the Berkians the explanation they deserved. But only when the time was right. Until then, she'd have to wait. But she had Hiccup.

The flight back to Phantom Island was long, and not particularly interesting, especially since Stormfly had an amazing sense of direction and she didn't have to do a lot of navigating himself. She admired Hiccup for making this trip as often as he did. He could've easily made a home for himself closer to raid territory. But instead, he chose to return to his dragons whenever he could. And to her.

Phantom Island was relatively quiet when she arrived – as quiet as an island filled to the brim with dragons could be – and when she landed in the Nest Hiccup was in bed, Toothless curled up around him. It wasn't unusual for her to find the two of them like that. She hadn't said anything about it, but she'd noticed that Hiccup was prone to having nightmares whenever he slept alone. Especially when he'd just come back from a raid.

Usually, Toothless was there to soothe him in an instant before she could even make an attempt to help out. And aside from occasionally moving restlessly, Hiccup always seemed fairly at peace when they were in bed together. Now however, she watched Toothless lift his large head and look at her, his big green eyes asking her for help as the dragon warbled softly.

Frowning and concerned, she walked over to their bed, her heart constricting as soon as she caught sight of Hiccup. He was curled up on his side, his scars facing her. His trembling hands were pulled into fists against his chest, his mouth slightly hung open and his eyes were squeezed shut, only slightly relaxing when he winced. She'd never seen him like this. It hurt to look at.

Biting her lower lip to ease herself, she knelt down next to him, pulling off her boots and relieving herself of her shoulder pads, gloves, hood and skirt. Hiccup was mumbling unintelligibly, a mixture of words and moans she couldn't make sense of leaving his lips. She pulled up the covers and crept under them, sharing a look with Toothless, who released Hiccup slightly as she reached out towards her lover.

Grabbing his shoulders, she tried to turn him around towards her, but he was too cramped up for her to move him. She wrapped one arm around his bare torso instead, the other around his shoulder as she pulled him closer to her. He winced slightly at her touch when she laid her cheek on top of his scarred one, letting her feel the rough structure of his face.

"Sssh," she whispered to him, softly stroking one of his balled fists with her fingers, hoping she'd get him to relax. "It's okay."

His breathing was laboured, his body shuddering against hers. She kept talking to him, occasionally sharing a glance with Toothless, who seemed to be as lost as she was. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of dream it was that kept Hiccup in its hold. That made him so deeply and thoroughly terrified. Was it about something he'd experienced? A story he'd already told her, or one of the many she suspected he still hadn't?

After minutes passed in which Hiccup did not seem to get better at all, she slowly shook his shoulder. "Hiccup. Hiccup, wake up."

It took a few tries before finally, she felt him jerk against her, sure he would've hit her with his rash movements if she hadn't been holding him already. Slowly, his breathing calmed, falling back into a normal rhythm as his body started to relax too. She softly caressed his skin until finally, he wriggled, angling his face to look at her. His green eyes were blown wide, fear and terror reflected in them. When they settled on her however, he almost looked surprised.

"You're back," he murmured as he turned further, a sense of disbelief ringing through in the way he spoke.

She cupped his cheek, softly stroking it as she smiled at him. "Of course I am."

Hiccup moved quickly after that, twisting around to face her and wrapping his arms around her. He pulled her close to him, resting his head against her shoulder, his arms possessively locked around her waist. As if he was afraid she'd vanish if he didn't keep her close. She stroked his back with one hand and his hair with the other, occasionally pressing kisses to the top of his head until finally, Hiccup's breathing slowed and he fell back into a more peaceful sleep.

Not long after that, she joined him, still holding Hiccup's reassuring warmth against her. Because after the events of the past days, she could surely use some of that too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking forward to next week and your comments/presence on Discord until then!


	27. Entr'Acte - With Love Comes Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another Phantom! I am very excited about this chapter and won't babble too much about it in advance for that reason. The only thing I am doing is:
> 
> This chapter contains NSFW content.

Astrid didn't know what time it was when she woke up again. There was some light creeping into the cave and in the distance, she could hear some of their Terrible Terrors sing – which wasn't exactly the most appeasing sound to wake up to. What she did gather however, is that she was alone. Hiccup wasn't next to her.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she sat up, looking around the dimly lit cave. Toothless and Stormfly were still asleep in their own corners, softly snoring and filling the cave with their rumbles. She found Hiccup sitting on the edge of the Nest, looking down into the volcano with his back against the wall, one of his legs dangling in the air. Judging by the fact he hadn't gotten dressed yet and he was only wearing his shorts, she figured he hadn't been up for too long. Except for when he slept, Hiccup wore his suit almost constantly. He liked to be prepared for anything, he'd once told her.

Rubbing her eyes and yawning, she slowly got up and walked over to him. Hiccup glanced at her when she approached; the tired look on his face and the dishevelled state of his hair told her that even though he'd fallen back asleep the night before, he wasn't exactly well-rested.

She sat down next to him, leaning against his shoulder and grabbing his hand when he didn't seem to mind her doing so. "Good morning."

"Morning," he absent-mindedly replied.

Curious as to what was drawing his attention, she leant over him, peering down into the volcano. She frowned when she found the dragons looking the same as they usually did.

One of Hiccup's hands landed on her shoulder, slowly steadying her even though there was no risk of her falling. She looked at him in confusion, finding his eyes peering into hers, seemingly looking for something.

"I can move if you mind sitting here," he softly said. "I know it's –"

She blinked at him until she finally got what had caused his reaction, then shook her head and laughed. "I'm not afraid anymore, Hiccup," she told him with a smile. "Haven't been for a long time."

Hiccup relaxed then and she hooked her finger under his chin, pulling him in for a long and tender kiss, his breath hot on her face after they separated.

"But, speaking of fear…" she started as she slowly leant back so she could look at him better. "I don't know if you remember, but you seemed to be having a pretty bad nightmare last night."

"I remember," he told her as he pulled up his scarred leg, settling it back on the stone. He drew his eyes away from hers however, as if there was something he didn't want to show. "Thank you for being there."

Softly stroking his shoulders and biceps, she asked: "Do you want to tell me what it was about, or?"

"It wasn't that different from usual," he mumbled, still looking away. "I have nightmares about anything. And everything. They're part of me, I suppose."

"Then why was it so bad last night?" she frowned. She wasn't buying his nonchalance. "Even Toothless didn't seem to know what to do with you. And given how long you two have been together, that's saying a lot."

"It's not the nightmares themselves that make one night worse than others," he explained, his arms remaining uncharacteristically still. "It's the things that haunt me during the day."

She settled her legs on either side of him, positioning herself on Hiccup's upper legs so she could look at him better while they spoke. "What haunts you, specifically?" She could easily think of a few things.

"The things I'm afraid of," he cryptically answered, still not looking back at her.

"What are you afraid of?" she asked as she took both of his quiet hands in hers. "Is it about the Red Death? Because that's still a long way out, and we have time, and –"

"No," he interrupted her. He shook his head before he finally looked at her, his eyes such a vibrant shade of green that it made her heart contract. "I'm afraid of you."

She let out a breath in sheer confusion, shaking her head as she frowned at him. "Why would you be afraid of me?"

One of the corners of Hiccup's mouth pulled up into a wry smile. "Because of what you could do to me."

"What I could do to you?" The more he told her, the stranger it got. "Hiccup, I wouldn't do anything to you, I –"

"That's not what I mean," he softly said. "I mean what it would do to me if you left me."

That took her aback and she slightly leant away from him, as if taking some distance would make her understand. "Why would I leave you?"

Hiccup smiled wryly. "Why wouldn't you?" He drew his hands away from her, moving them to his face instead. "There are so many reasons. Because you miss your parents, because you miss Berk. Because you feel you can handle things on your own, and you don't need me anymore. Because you don't want to deal with me and everything that's wrong with me. Because you're sick and tired of all…  _this_." He gestured to the room around them and then finally to himself.

She shook her head and let out a sigh as she grabbed his wrists. "None of that has ever crossed my mind. And when I say that, I really mean nothing. Never."

Hiccup pulled his wrists back towards himself, dragging her along and looking at her. His gaze was soft, fragile. "If you left me, I don't know what I'd do." He looked down into the volcano, then back at her. "It'd just be me and the dragons again, and for such a long time I thought that'd be enough, and then you came along, and I –" He closed his eyes and bit down on his lower lip. "I'm afraid that if I lose you, I'll lose myself too."

She leant her forehead against his, cupping his face with her hands. "Hiccup, look at me." She waited before his long lashes fluttered open again, gazing deep into his green pearls. "I'm not leaving you. I am with you in this. I told you that long ago, and it's still true. I would never even consider doing this without you. I can't even imagine it. Sure, I miss being on Berk, but this is important to me. You are important to me. And I'm not someone who quits halfway through either. You know that." She smiled at him. "You really don't have to be afraid."

She pressed a soft kiss to his lips, but he drew away, putting his hands on the sides of her face and keeping their foreheads leaning against each other. She searched his eyes for an explanation, but all she found was his gaze slowly growing more intense as he looked back at her. Until finally, he spoke.

"Astrid, I'm in love with you."

A slight gasp escaped her and she looked at him, wide-eyed, trying to process his confession. Her stomach filled itself with butterflies, her heart started beating irregularly and her skin grew hot. She tried to form words, to say something in return, but she couldn't find them, and she just looked at him, half-expecting him to offer her a solution. What was she supposed to say? 'Thank you'? 'I love you too'? Could she say that, could she make that commitment, could she –

Hiccup's face broke into a soft lopsided smile. "I don't need you to say it back. As long as you don't mind me saying it to you." He frowned slightly. "Do you, or?"

She immediately shook her head, finding her voice again. "No, not at all. I just,  _gods_ , Hiccup –"

Hiccup sat up from his position against the wall, drawing her in and pressing his lips to hers. It was a long kiss, the two of them melting together as Hiccup buried one hand in her hair and tenderly caressed her cheek with the other. He'd just said it. But now she felt it. He loved her.  _He loved her._

She whined softly when he drew away from her, moving to cup her face with both of his hands once more. The look he gave her then almost swallowed her whole, a passion, a softness, a sweetness and a devotion in it she hadn't seen before. And all she could do was gape at him as he spoke, wondering how he possibly, in this instant, could've gotten even more beautiful than before.

"I love you. I really do," he sighed, closing his eyes and smiling to himself as he shook his head, as if he didn't properly believe it himself either. "I don't expect you to say it back. After all, in a way, I've known you a lot longer than you've really known me."

He opened his eyes again, biting his lower lip before he broke into a smile. "I've been falling for you ever since those first nights in Berk's arena. I tried to stop it, I didn't know how to deal with it and I…" He took a deep breath, leaving the moment they both knew he was talking about unspoken. "I thank the gods every day for giving me the chance to make things up to you. And ever since you've been here, I've just been falling for you even harder."

He put his hands on her shoulders, softly shaking her while he briefly squeezed his eyes shut, smiling from ear to ear as well as he could before he spoke again. "You are just simply amazing. You amaze me every day. With the dragons, with the way you listen to me and actually seem to  _understand_  me. When you laugh at my stupid jokes or at the dorky things I do, when you let me geek out about, well, anything!"

He pulled her closer, pressing his lips to her forehead and somewhere between his barrage of love and affection, she found the strength to wrap her arms around his neck. "Gods, Astrid," he breathed into her shoulder as she moved to hug him fully, wrapping herself around him while his arms curled around her waist. "Every moment, every day you've been with me has been infinitely better than all of them before that. I love you. I love you. So. Much."

She buried her hands in his hair, pulling his cheek against hers to try to stop herself from trembling. "Gods… Hiccup…"

She heard him exhale softly. "I talk too much, don't I?"

She smiled and nodded against his bare shoulder, which felt even hotter than normal against her skin. "You really do."

"I could go on no problem if you'd like me to, this is basically one hot mess of over half a year of contained feelings you're currently desperately holding on to," he joked.

"No," she told him, taking a deep breath before she moved back so she could properly look at him again. He gave her an awkward smile, an apology for gushing and yet not one at all. She cupped his face in her hands, taking a deep breath while she made sure to caress his scars as much as she touched his smoother skin. It made no difference to her after all.

"I'm not ready to tell you I love you. Yet." She gave him a soft smile. The promise that that time would come. Because she didn't doubt it would.

She softly brushed a few of his messy auburn strands of hair aside before continuing. "But I'm yours. I want to be yours. Only yours. And I want you to be only mine." She closed her eyes, embarrassment making her cheeks turn red. "I can't imagine spending my time with anyone else but you. I don't want to be with anyone but you. I want to wake up next to you, fly with you, talk with you, laugh with you, kiss you, hug you, everything – you. Just you."

She looked at him again, taking in his features and finding him softly smiling at her. "I won't leave you. I couldn't even if I tried. I'm in too deep and it feels too good. I don't think I could ever go back to how things were before. You changed my life. For the better, I'm quite sure. Especially once the war will be over. You brought me Stormfly, you brought me dragons, you brought me another part of the world, you brought me, well –" She gestured at him. "You."

Hiccup stayed silent after that, just smiling at her, and she dropped her hands into her lap, unsure of what to do with herself. "Is that… enough?"

Hiccup blinked at her a few times before raising his single eyebrow. "Is it enough? Of course it's enough! That's the sweetest thing anyone's  _ever_  said to me. Seriously." He shrugged before giving her a broad, lopsided smile, moving his shoulders just a little too much as he usually did. "I just needed some time to take it in, I suppose."

She smiled back at him, their eyes meeting in a way they never had before. She felt a jolt of lightning on her skin as Hiccup put his scarred hand on her cheek, pulling her closer at an excruciatingly slow pace.

"You know," he whispered when she was about to close her eyes, the two of them so close that his breath set her skin on fire. "I don't want to let the Phantom's cockiness shine through right now, but it does kind of sound like you love me too." He grinned, continuing before she could lash out. "But that's okay. This is enough. You're enough. You will  _always_ be enough. And like I told you before, I'm not planning on letting you go anytime soon."

She tried to speak up, but he sealed her lips with a rough, open-mouthed kiss. A moan escaped her as she returned it, her tongue finding his. Almost instantly, she could feel the fire start to burn in the lower part of her stomach. Needing more of him, needing him closer, she buried her hands in his hair, drawing a groan from him as his arms enveloped her waist, pulling her against him.

"I love you," Hiccup whispered against her lips when they finally broke free, their bodies hot against each other. He was looking at her with hungry eyes, his black pupils having consumed too much of his green irises. She didn't think it was possible for him to look any hotter.

"I want you," she told him, pulling him back into a bruising kiss. Her hands wandered down to his chest, tracing the lines on it she knew so well by now, but still couldn't get enough of.

"I don't think I need to tell you that I want you too," Hiccup smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, her nose and then her ear, softly brushing her hair aside. "But I'm going to do it anyways.  _I want you_."

The tone of his voice had been too low then, the way he spoke too husky, too unfair. She pushed him back against the wall behind him, catching his lips once more as he moaned. His hands moved to her hair, untangling her braid as he often did. She didn't mind. She was his. He could do that.

She almost missed how Hiccup tossed the cord away to the side and from the corner of her eye, she watched the hair accessory plummet down towards the volcano's base. She gave Hiccup her best scolding look, which quickly melted as he flashed her his signature crooked smile.

"Might want to move before that happens to one of us," he murmured as she kissed him again, his hands moving down to her waist. Before she could protest, he was moving out from underneath her and pulling her up along with him.

When she was only barely on her feet, his hands slid down to her thighs and he lifted her into the air, spinning the two of them around as she yelped, securing her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips.

She kissed him as well as she could as he carried her, his warm body pressed against hers. Eventually, he put her back down on the edge of his desk and she quickly shoved some of his papers aside as she stabilised herself on it, letting Hiccup step between her legs. She giggled as he buried his nose in the nape of her neck while he snaked his fingers underneath the hem of her shirt. Obediently, she put her hands up above her head, allowing him to pull off her top, her breast bindings joining it on the cave's floor not much later.

"Did I ever tell you you're really pretty?" Hiccup murmured as he settled one hand on her breast and the other on her lower back, pulling her hips against his. She let out a soft moan as she felt how hard he was through his shorts, his cock twitching as he rubbed against her.

"I'm quite sure you did. But I don't mind you telling me again," she panted as his skilled fingers caressed her breast, leaving her gasping for air as she sought his lips once more. "Have I told you that you're criminally handsome?"

"I can't say I'm unfamiliar with the term 'criminal'," Hiccup quipped, biting playfully at her earlobe, which sent a shiver down her spine.

"Just take the compliment, dork," she told him, grabbing his face and kissing him roughly as she locked her legs around his hips and thighs, pulling the two of them even closer together.

Hiccup gasped against her lips, bucking into her so she could feel him slide against her leggings, and she was pretty sure he could feel her dampness even through both of their clothes. She moved her crotch against his, looking for more friction, more delicious sounds from his mouth as they kissed sloppily and open-mouthed, her fingernails digging into his shoulders. Hiccup grinded against her, moaning her name, and it was too much, too good, but yet she wanted more, him inside her, to take her fully. To be his. And why wouldn't she let him?

In that moment, she made a decision. It had been on her mind before, but she couldn't be more certain than she was right now. He loved her, after all. And she couldn't imagine being with anyone else.

It took every bit of strength she could find for her to put her hands on Hiccup's shoulders, softly pushing him away. He whined as they separated, his heat disappearing from between her legs leaving her yearning too.

He opened his eyes, searching her face for an explanation. "Get me your sketchbook," she told him.

Hiccup's eyebrow creased in confusion, his mouth moving as if he hadn't understood the question. And judging by the way he was panting and trembling, his cheeks flushed, it was likely he hadn't.

"Get me your sketchbook. And a pencil," she repeated, her breath as heavy as his.

Hiccup's frown deepened and she waited for him to process her words. "What? Why?"

She rolled her eyes and gave him a nudge. "Just do it. It's important. You won't regret it, I promise."

She could see Hiccup deliberate in his head whether it was worth putting up a fight until he eventually decided against it. He pretty much sprinted to the other side of the room and gave her a good look at just how much his shorts had tented as he rushed back over to her. With a slight sense of agitation, but mostly impatience, he pressed his sketchbook and a pencil into her held-out hands, his eyes darting to her bared breasts as he did.

She teasingly smiled at him as she opened the sketchbook, going through it until she'd found one of its rare empty pages. "Turn around,  _boyfriend_ ," she told him, that being the first time she'd called him that.

He squinted his eyes at her. "Sometimes I really think you're just trying to drive me crazy." But despite his complaint, he obeyed, twisting to give her a good look at his broad shoulders and well-shaped back.

"You wouldn't exactly be wrong," she teased, setting the sketchbook against the space between his shoulders so she could write. "But like I said, you won't regret this."

She messed up the first one of her runes as Hiccup sighed deeply, one of his feet impatiently tapping on the floor as she rolled her eyes and continued writing. It didn't take her very long; she had pretty much had it memorised from the moment she'd been old enough to do so, after all.

"Done," she triumphantly said, hooking her legs around Hiccup's waist and pulling him back against her, pressing a kiss to the space between his shoulders and to the base of his neck. She put the pencil down and reached around him with the sketchbook, dangling it in front of his eyes, opened at the right page.

"Alright, let's see what you got so riled up about." She could almost hear Hiccup roll his eyes as he took the sketchbook from her, surveying the page. She sat up on her knees on his desk so she could peer over him, resting her head on the top of his and her arms around his neck as she waited for a reaction.

"Astrid, these are just herbs," he murmured as he dragged his gorgeous long fingers over the page.

She rolled her eyes and giggled. She figured his blood flow was still a little too concentrated in one place. "Yes," she confirmed. "I need you to get these the next time you're somewhere you can. I'd do it myself, but you're probably quicker."

"What would you need these for, I mean…" Hiccup mumbled, and she could almost hear him think. Then, a few seconds later, he froze. Almost comically slowly, he turned around, the look on his face one of complete surprise as he pointed at the list of herbs. "Are these…?"

She nodded, biting her lower lip as she sat back down so she wasn't hovering above him. Tracing his arm with her fingers first, she carefully took the sketchbook from him and put it on the desk, making sure not to tear the pages. Then, she grabbed his hands, one scarred and one simply calloused, in hers.

"If I make tea with those, it'll keep me from… getting pregnant," she told him. "In case we…"

She could hear Hiccup swallow as he stepped back between her legs, lifting one of his caught hands to cup her cheek. She softly stroked the top of it with her thumb as she waited for him to speak. He almost sounded nervous when he did. "You want to?"

She nodded, placing her other hand on the back of his neck and pulling him closer. "I do. I'm yours. I want to be yours. In every single way. Just, you know," she shrugged, trying to make herself feel less awkward. "No babies."

"Yeah," Hiccup nodded. "That would be inconvenient." His hands settled on her bare waist, the touch alone already making her twitch. "I could go right now, you know. Could be back within a day even. Just say the word, and I'll drag Toothless along on my noble quest."

She laughed, shaking her head at his eagerness. "Just do it next time you're away. It can wait." She smiled softly, caressing his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, remember?"

"Gods, I love you." The words had barely left his mouth before he took her lips, his kiss hard and wanting. She moaned into it, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and stroking his skin. His arms enveloped her, making her feel hot all over as he dragged her against his chest, her hardened nipples rubbing against his skin.

She reached down, tugging at Hiccup's waistband to free his cock, which was currently straining against the fabric of his shorts. His hands closed around her wrists however, pulling them back up and putting them around his neck. He smiled against her lips. "I've got a present for you first."

He yanked her off his desk before she could protest, crossing the distance to their bed with her arms and legs locked around him. The fact that he was strong enough to do that, to carry her, to take charge like that, only set her on edge more and she sighed as he put her down on top of the furs, pressing his lips to her neck and tugging at her leggings. She arched her hips upwards, helping Hiccup as he didn't hesitate to pull her leggings and underwear down together, leaving her completely naked below him.

"I love you," he told her as he caught her lips, stroking her hair with one hand and caressing her thigh with the other, making her part her legs for him to settle between. He stayed on his knees however, his slender fingers carefully surveying her skin.

She wriggled as his fingernails dragged across the surface of her thigh, ever closer to the place where she needed him more by the minute. She felt him smile, clearly aware of her predicament and she caught his lower lip between her teeth, making him groan, his hand on her thigh gripping her a little tighter.

"You're impatient," he chuckled as he finally dragged his finger between her lower lips, making her shudder and her hips buck forward. "And so incredibly wet," he added, moving his glistening finger to his lips and slowly licking it with his tongue. A held-in breath left her at the sight.

"I really –" he started as he pressed a kiss to her neck. To her breast. To the spot just below her navel. To her inner thigh. "– want to taste more of that."

Then, his hands settled on her hips, and he pressed his lips against her clit. She gasped, digging her nails into his shoulders, which she was still sort-of holding on to. She heard him laugh softly, his hot breath tickling that same spot, making her writhe, needing more of that, more of him.

Agonizingly slowly, he dragged his tongue between her folds, making her cry as the sensation sent sparks through her lower body. She bucked into him as he flicked the tip of his tongue over her clit. And he didn't stop there, moving further down to caress every sensitive part of her with skilful, slow licks, causing her to squirm and bite her lower lip to keep her from startling every dragon in the volcano with her cries.

One of his hands moved to the bottom of her stomach, gently pushing her down and limiting her movement as he continued to delve into her, twisting his tongue and tasting her. Seeking release in another way, she arched her back, one hand grabbing a fistful of Hiccup's gorgeous auburn hair and the other moving up to softly squeeze her breast, drawing a moan from her own throat as her head fell back.

Hiccup groaned in response to the sound she made. One of his hands still caressing the side of her hip, she felt his tongue dip into the spot where she wanted him most, where she could have him soon, just a few more weeks at most… But it took every inch of her self-constraint not to ask him to take her right there, right now.

"Gods, Hiccup,  _fuck_ ," she moaned as he kept licking her, unrelenting. She softly palmed her own breast, pinching her nipple and clenching her teeth to suppress the sound that drew from her. It made her miss how Hiccup moved the hand that was holding her down, dragging it down only so slightly, and she was completely unprepared when his thumb brushed against the oh-so-sensitive bud between her legs.

All her efforts to stay quiet evaporated then, and she outright screamed, pleasure building in her lower belly as his tongue was still dipping and twisting, his thumb softly stroking her clit, her own hand still on her breast. She almost pulled the hair out of his head as the pressure continued to grow, winding tighter, harder, hotter until finally, she could no longer hold. " _Hiccup!_ "

The release made her vision go white, making her see stars as the world fell apart until there was nothing but Hiccup and her, his tongue still softly stroking her as her muscles spasmed. She panted as she tried to regain her senses, releasing Hiccup's hair and pressing both of her palms to her eyes, shaking her head as she tried to calm down her breathing.

Eventually, she felt Hiccup move back up, releasing her hips and tracing her curves. Finally, one of his hands softly grabbed her wrists one by one, pulling her hands away from her face and offering her a good look at his lopsided grin as he hovered over her, dangerously close as he held himself up on one of his elbows. His lips glistened with her arousal and his smile widened as he spotted her eyes dart down to them.

Exaggeratingly, he wiped them with the back of his free arm before he lowered himself, nuzzling her nose as his lips brushed against hers. She wrapped one arm around his slender waist and buried the other in his hair as she pulled him closer, their kiss long, lazy and saltier than normal – her own taste, she realized.

"So, how was that?" Hiccup asked as he pulled away, his sly smile lighting up his scars.

"I don't even know if I can properly put that that into words," she moaned, recalling the sensation. " _Gods_ , Hiccup, not that I'm complaining about anything you did before – on the contrary – but you could've done that earlier."

"I was saving it for a special occasion," he told her, his voice still hoarse as he traced the skin of her stomach with his fingers. She looked him down, her eyes scanning his beautiful body and finding him still clearly aroused, not having had release yet himself.

Anxious but curious, she bit her lower lip. "Could I do something like that to you too?"

"Like what?" Hiccup asked, his voice dropping even lower – intentionally, she suspected – as he kissed the corner of her mouth.

She put one of her hands on his cheek, tracing the lines of his scars. "Kiss you there. Lick you. Taste you." She pressed her lips to his, rolling the two of them over until she was sitting on top of his chest, the remnants of her wetness sliding over his stomach, her long strands of blonde falling down to conceal both of their faces. "Make you come with my mouth."

"I don't doubt that you could," Hiccup told her, tracing the curve of her hip with one hand while gathering her hair aside with the other. "You might want to tie your hair back again though."

"Would've been a lot easier if you hadn't gotten rid of my cord just now," she laughed, climbing off him and crawling to the side of their bed, offering him a good look at her ass as she did. She quickly went through her stuff, finding another band and using it to loosely tie her hair together. She'd braid it properly later.

Hiccup sat up as she made her way back to him, pulling her in for a kiss and draping the tied strands of blonde over her shoulder. "Your hair looks great like that."

She rolled her eyes, pushing him back so he was leaning against the wall behind him, and kissed his neck. "As long as it's not traditional Viking style, it works for you, doesn't it?"

He flashed her a lopsided grin. "Got me there. But it's absolutely gorgeous no matter what you do with it, so I won't complain."

Shaking her head at him, she scooted back – making sure to softly rub against his still-hard cock as she did – and started pulling down his shorts. "You talk too much."

She could see Hiccup smile and as soon as she'd freed him she leant back over him to kiss that smile off his face. Stabilising herself with one hand, she let her other trail down his torso, enjoying the feeling off all his lines – his muscles, his scars, everything that had made him who he was. She could feel him twitch when her hand finally settled on his cock, his hands gripping her ass and their kiss breaking as Hiccup gasped when she gently grabbed him.

"So doing this with my mouth would just be, kind of the same?" she asked, moving her hand the way she knew he liked.

"Uhuh," Hiccup managed, his head falling back.

"Just… guide me through it, okay?" she asked as she continued to stroke him, enjoying the slight moans that left his lips.

All she got from Hiccup in return was a nod that seemed to cost him enough effort already. Slowly, she made her way down, kissing his neck and his torso and dragging her tongue over the remnants of her own salty slick heat that covered his lower stomach. Then, finally, she pressed her lips to the tip of his cock.

Stirred on by the hungry groan that escaped Hiccup then, she dragged her tongue along it, curiously tasting him. "It tastes kind of… funny."

"Yeah, I know," Hiccup replied, his voice hardly audible. "If you mind then it's –  _ahh, fuck_ ," he cried as she did it again, grinning at his reaction.

Finding his vibrant green eyes glancing down at her, she made sure to keep her gaze fixated on his as she slowly took him in her mouth, watching him gasp as she did. Wanting to hear more of that, to see his hungry eyes grow even darker, she started to move, him slightly bucking his hips as she did.

"Like that,  _gods_ ," she heard him groan. "You don't have to take me all the way, I know it can be uncomfortable, just use your hand for the rest."

She didn't let that suggestion linger for too long, quickly grabbing him and using her hand in sync with her mouth. Hiccup whimpered and she paused to quickly lick her lips and then his shaft, giving him a teasing look before she took him in her mouth again. Hiccup's hips moved with her and after a bit, she changed up the rhythm, his moans intensifying and his chest heaving as he buried his hands in her hair, slightly tugging on it.

"Fuck,  _Astrid_ ," he groaned, the rest of his moans reduced to incoherent mumbling as she kept going, listening to the sound of his voice as she moved, enjoying the sounds she drew from him, the way his hands tensed up in her hair. How she could slowly see him lose his senses as she challenged herself to take him deeper, further, teasing him with her tongue as she did.

"Astrid,  _gods_ , I'm going to –" Hiccup managed and she understood, licking him once more before she released him from her mouth.

She left her hand on him as one of the hands tangled in her hair pulled her up, drawing her towards his lips as she continued to pump him. Their lips met in a wet, sloppy kiss, more teeth than anything else as Hiccup groaned and panted. His other hand moved to cup her ass, the roughness of his scars making her skin tingle pleasantly as he groped aimlessly, senselessly until finally, he shuddered beneath her, spilling onto both of their stomachs with a loud groan.

She moved her other hand to cup his face and they stayed like that for a while, both of them panting heavily with their foreheads leaning against each other, their skins sweaty and hot. Eventually, Hiccup's half-lidded and content eyes fell completely closed as he drew her in for a kiss. His hands softly caressed her skin as their lips met, their tongues intertwining in tenderness.

"Gods, Astrid, you are…  _divine_ ," he told her as he started to reach for one of the cloths they'd started to keep next to their bed.

"I got it," she reassured him as she kissed his nose, grabbing the cloth and wiping the two of them off as well as she could. They'd need to take a bath later for sure – not that either of them would mind that - but this would do for now.

Still breathing heavily, Hiccup laid back down on the furs, keeping his arms open for her to snuggle into. She laid down next to him, one leg spread over his stomach, her head on the left side of his chest so she could trace the lines of his scars on the other. She felt warm, softened, content as Hiccup's chest heaved. Loved.

"You know," Hiccup eventually said after minutes of silence, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait for the next raid."

She shook her head and teasingly poked him between his ribs, but only slightly. Because she couldn't wait for that moment either. She wanted to share that with him. Give herself to him. All of her.

Because she wouldn't ever want to be with anyone else.

* * *

"I am going to go on a missing limb here and guess your plan didn't work."

Stoick the Vast looked at Gobber in confusion, who was eyeing him as he walked into the blacksmith's forge. It was only just past dawn and he'd finished checking the damage that'd been done to the village in his absence. It wasn't pretty.

"How do you know that?" he frowned.

Gobber, who looked about as exhausted as he did, pointed to one of the corners of the forge, where a large bag could be found he hadn't seen before. "Those are the traps we set up. Returned during the night and mutilated to the point that they're no longer usable, of course. With an accompanying note.  _Although I appreciate the effort, I'd rather you use these to make me something useful instead of as entertainment. But feel free to tell the Chief I had a wonderful night._ "

"Son of a half-troll," he cursed.

"Did he talk to you again last night?" Gobber inquired.

"Aye," he nodded, not exactly eager to share his experience.

"Anything useful?"

"Hardly," he groaned. "Lots of senseless rambling. Taunts. Saying Berk is his, that he could rule it with ease but that he has no interest in it. That we should leave Berk, or stop killing dragons. That he could be much worse than he is right now. And he…" He sighed. "He threatened to kidnap someone again, if we don't listen. A guy most likely, he said, but I don't even know if he meant that."

Gobber muttered something under his breath before asking: "Do you think he would?"

"Well, he's done it with Astrid, so he  _could_ ," he contemplated. "And forcing everyone to stay inside to prevent that won't work."

"And that wouldn't stop the Phantom either, I reckon," Gobber added, his blonde eyebrows creasing. "Are you willing to take the risk he'll kidnap someone else?"

He sighed. "I don't see what I could do against it."

"I know you don't want to hear this, but," Gobber started. "You could listen to him."

He looked at his friend in shock. "Why would I ever? He's a madman, a terrorist, a –"

"Aye, I agree," Gobber nodded. "But he's also been ahead of us consistently for almost two years. I've know we fought many battles together over the years, you and I, but…" He looked down. "What if this is the one battle we can't win?"

"I am not abandoning Berk. This has been our home for seven generations and I'm not leaving it because of one man," he resolutely said.

"What about the other option? To stop killing dragons?" Gobber tried.

"And leave ourselves defenceless against the beasts? Not while I'm alive." He frowned. "Besides, we don't have  _any_  guarantee that the Phantom would honour his end of the deal, even if we did listen. Men like that don't keep their word."

"I'm just asking that you think about it," Gobber softly said. "Because I fear we're running out of options. So it can't hurt to try. And who knows, maybe if we listen, out of goodwill, he will…"

He shook his head. "He told me specifically he's not giving Astrid back."

Gobber sighed. "May the gods have mercy on her then." There was a pause then before Gobber continued, both of them looking at their own feet. "But Stoick, even if obeying it makes it so that he doesn't take someone else, doesn't that make it worth a shot? And if anything, it would give me time to get our weapon stocks back to, I wouldn't say normal, but at least useful level."

"It's not happening, Gobber," he decided. "I'm not giving in to a terrorist's demands."

"Aye, Chief," Gobber nodded. "Like I said, I just ask that you think about it, that's all."

He did not really want to. His mind was made up. He wouldn't listen to the Phantom. Especially not after the things he'd said last night.

"I'm heading off to bed," he informed Gobber, who gave him a nod. "Sleep well."

Working as well as he could with his tired muscles, bones and mind, he made his way through the village, back to his own home. The streets were quiet, most people already having turned in to catch up on the sleep they lost last night. Except for the pair of youngsters who ran up to him as he reached the village's square. Followed by a third person.

"Chief!" Snotlout Jorgenson shouted as he darted over. "There you are!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose as he did his best to keep up his composure, he looked at the the boy, whose arm was hooked into Ruffnut Thorston's, who he was excitedly dragging along. It remained a strange sight, but the two of them seemed happy, so he didn't interfere.

"What is it, Snotlout?" he asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. Warily, he eyed Spitelout, who was watching the three of them from a distance. That didn't sit well with him.

Snotlout gestured to himself and to Ruffnut. "We're –" He smiled widely, balling his fists and trampling his feet in excitement.

"We're engaged!" Ruffnut completed, spreading her arms triumphantly in the same way she did when she and her twin brother successfully pulled off a prank.

"And this couldn't wait until later today because…?" he prodded, his exhaustion preventing him from properly processing their message.

"We're just so excited!" Snotlout near-shouted. "And we just figured we should let you know as soon as possible, because you know, of course, it's going to be a  _big_ party!"

Ruffnut nodded. "Tuff and I are already brainstorming about the theme, and we'd love to set a date to share our ideas!"

"And of course we need to inform the other chiefs on time," Snotlout added. "Dagur, Alvin, let me think, who else –"

That raised his suspicion. "Why would you want to invite Dagur and Alvin?" he asked. "To my knowledge, you're not friends with them."

"Because I thought it was customary to do so…?" Snotlout started, seemingly thrown off. "You know, for the wedding of a…"

That's when it hit Stoick why they had come to him at arguably his weakest point in the day. From the corner of his eye, he looked at Spitelout, who was still listening in to the conversation. Oh no, he wasn't giving him this.

"It's customary for the wedding of a chief, yes," he confirmed. "Or a chief's son. You are neither."

Both of the young Vikings looked shocked, and he continued before either of them was able to open their mouth. "You are free to have a regular, Berkian wedding. My advice would be to do it in the Summer at the latest because of the weather and the increased frequency of raids in Autumn. I will officiate, and there will be a  _regular_ feast after."

"But Chief –" Snotlout started.

"You have my blessing and my congratulations. And that will be all for today," he resolutely told them, ignoring the glare Spitelout gave him. "I am turning in to get some sleep."

With those words, he left the two of them – and their eavesdropper – behind. Looking straight ahead, he walked up the hill towards his own home. This whole village was going mad. Ever since the Phantom's appearance, nothing had been right. Nothing had worked the way it normally had. Things were spiralling out of control because of that fiend. With all attempts to stop him seemingly futile.

But as he closed the door of his home behind him, he could no longer deny that for him, that wasn't true at all. His life had been dreadful and agonizing for over five years already. The Phantom had just given his despair a different touch. Something to focus on, something to keep him busy. Something that prevented the terrible, terrible truth from seeping into his mind every minute of every day.

_Hiccup was gone_. His boy was gone and he'd never come back. There was only one person in his mind who deserved the kind of wedding Snotlout had just asked him for. His son. But he'd never get it. Stoick would never get to stand there, speaking the words he so often spoke at weddings, but now while looking at the bright face of his grown-up boy, who would, knowing him, likely only have eyes for the girl standing opposite of him, instead of for his old man. Maybe they would have shared a look, a glance, Hiccup's excited green eyes telling him 'Look dad, I did it'.

He would never know. It would never happen. Because Hiccup wasn't with them anymore.

That realization hitting him, he sunk down into his chair. Big tears, the kind he hadn't allowed himself to shed in ages, streamed down his face, soaking his moustache and his beard. Even after all these years, the pain hadn't lessened. There was no fighting it. All he could do was suffer, and endure.

_Just like he was forced to do when it came to the Phantom._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for dropping that pile of sadness on you after the smut before it! The two paragraphs just fit too well together thematically for me to separate them.
> 
> See you next week!


	28. Entr'Acte - She's Fine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the sweetness of last week (like, come on, how adorable was Hiccup telling Astrid he loved her? Writing it made me squee and it still does!), we're back with another chapter ^^
> 
> ~This chapter contains NSFW content~ (*surprised Pikachu meme*, given the events of last chapter)

Astrid thought her normal weeks without Hiccup were long. But somehow, this one managed to be even longer.

Hiccup had left her with a series of long kisses and a promise to come back as soon as he could. The anticipation of what would happen, what  _could_ happen once he returned had left the both of them needy – and just outright horny – over the days before he  _finally_  had to leave; Toothless had literally had to tear the two of them apart when it was time for Hiccup to depart. Which had created a struggle between the dragon and his rider until the point that Hiccup had had to admit that he couldn't out-wrestle a Night Fury. But he had most certainly tried.

And now in his absence, all she could do was wait. Of course she continued her drills the way she usually would, but to say her mind was elsewhere was an understatement. The only upside of her being a lot less on-point than usual was that it forced the other dragons to adapt to her change in behaviour. Which she supposed improved their sense of improvisation. Which was something. But it wasn't like her to get this easily distracted.

Today was another day of drills, and she was currently flying on Stormfly, Hiccup's lieutenants and another twenty-or-so dragons trailing after them. They were doing simple flight exercises; different-shaped laps around Phantom Island, all of them finished off by firing at the oddly-shaped rock they used as a target. Sometimes, she'd let Stormfly fire at it herself to set the example and on others, she'd simply point at it, seeing if the dragons would understand her signal. And usually, most of them did. Which made her hopeful.

"Alright Stormfly, let's do this one more time. Triple loop upwards, double –" Her words were interrupted by her own yelp as she suddenly found herself separated from her dragon, her legs dangling in the air instead. She heard Stormfly gawk and she screamed, watching the ocean below her until she noticed that it wasn't coming closer; she wasn't falling.

Only then did she properly register the black claws around her upper arms. She looked up to find Toothless' belly above her and Hiccup peering over the side of the Night Fury, his visor pulled up to reveal a cocky lopsided smile.

"Hiccup! Put me down!" she yelled, not finding the situation as funny as he did. Flying was one thing, dangling helplessly in the air was another.

"That was my plan, yes," he told her with a grin.

Looking back down, she found one of Phantom Island's sandy beaches quickly approaching until her feet softly touched down on the sand. Toothless made sure not to hit her as he landed in the sand, Hiccup already dismounting before they were properly on the ground.

Despite her shock, she couldn't help but laugh as Hiccup pulled off his gloves and helmet, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the ground, twirling the two of them around until they fell into the sand. They were both giggling and laughing when Toothless walked over to them, nudging both of his humans with his nose – likely to see if they were okay and why they were acting even stranger than usual.

"Alright, bud, just stay there for a minute," Hiccup told Toothless, righting himself and reaching into the Night Fury's saddlebags. Eventually, he got a smaller bag out of it, dropping it into the sand along with himself.

She moved to lean over him, finding his green eyes looking up at the clear sky above them, a slightly dreamy expression on his face. He looked almost delirious, and in a suspiciously good mood for someone who'd just come back from a raid night.

"Where was the raid?" she asked him out of slight concern.

His eyes settled back on her. "Berk. Again. But I couldn't care less." He lifted his free hand to cup her face. "All I've been able to think of all week was you. Even more than usual, I mean."

Before she could reply, he held out his other hand to her, the bag he'd fetched still firmly held in it. "I got the herbs you asked for. Took a lot less trouble than I imagined. The Archipelago's healers are surprisingly organised."

Shaking her head with a smile, she took it from him, sitting back up and dropping it in her lap. Curiously, she opened it to examine the contents. She frowned, then burst into laughter. "Hiccup, this is enough to make an entire village infertile for a week!"

"Hey, you never specified how much you needed!" Hiccup shot back, feigning insult. "I'm no healer. I figured I'd rather be safe than sorry."

A laugh escaped her as she carefully investigated the herbs Hiccup brought back. He'd brought back way too much, but she did have everything she needed. A slight anxiety, but mostly excitement tickled her in the pit of her stomach. This was happening. They were going to do this.

"So yeah, sniff it, eat it, make your tea, whatever you girls do with that stuff," Hiccup continued, gesturing wildly with his hands. Then, with an incredible sense of drama, he threw both of his arms to his sides and into the sand, seemingly surrendering himself to whatever predator came to claim him. "I'll be here when you need me."

She just sat there, cross-legged, taking in her boyfriend and his current demeanour while she did her best to suppress her laughter. Combined with the things he'd said, it just looked too funny. From the corner of her eye she could see both Stormfly and Toothless were watching them, who seemed to wonder if Hiccup was still functioning. But to her, he just looked absolutely precious.

As her silence dragged on, Hiccup eventually lifted his head, his expression slightly concerned. "You still want to, right? If you don't, that's fine, I don't mean to push you."

She shook her head and moved to sit on top of him, her hands on his armoured chest. "You're such a dork," she smiled, ruffling one of her hands through his auburn locks. "And your hair is full of sand."

"That does tend to happen to people who lay down in said sand," he shot back, moving his spread out arms to rest his hands on her lower arms instead. "But really, if you don't want to then –"

She bent forward and kissed him before he could finish his sentence. He made a soft sound of pleasure as their lips met, one hand cupping her face and pulling her even closer into the kiss. It was sweet, and tender.

"Yes, I still want to," she told him when they separated, looking into his soft green eyes. "But you know it's not that simple, right?"

"Astrid, I think the fact that I did not instantly recognize the list of herbs says enough about how much I know about that stuff," he answered, an apologetic smile on his face.

"From what I've been taught, I know that it doesn't work instantly," she elaborated. "And it's not failproof either. I will still need to count my days, and preferably, you'd still pull out."

"I can do that," he nodded, tracing the curve of her hips. "No problem." He softly poked her lower stomach. "As much as I'd love a baby that came from you, just like I love you, I'm not… quite ready for that."

She shook her head. "Neither am I. We're already breaking enough conventions as it is."

"And I'm not exactly a stranger to helping women break the sanctity of marriage," Hiccup joked, his face turning more serious as he continued. "But if you think it's too risky, then really, it's fine if we don't."

"No," she told him resolutely. "I want to do this. If I get pregnant regardless, then…" She grabbed his hand, which was still wandering close to her belly, pressing it flat against her lower stomach. "Then I guess it means we have the gods' blessing after all." She bit her lower lip. "And I trust you wouldn't leave me."

Hiccup sat up, holding himself up on one arm while cupping her face with the other. "I'm never leaving you."

They kissed then, soft and lovingly as their arms enveloped each other. When they broke apart, she simply hugged him, asking herself what she'd done to deserve someone as sweet and understanding as Hiccup. Perhaps he was right, and she did love him already. But could she tell him that, with him and Berk still at war with each other? Could she truly love both Berk and its enemy at the same time?

Shaking her head to snap herself out of it, she leant back and looked at him. She didn't need to worry about it. He'd told her, in all earnestness, that it was enough. She was enough. And he was more than enough for her.

"I was told that to get the best effect, I should start drinking it as soon as possible after my period. In some cases, it's even wiser to wait until that moment has passed again." She softly poked his nose. "Lucky for us, I bled while you were gone and it only just stopped. But even then, it's wise to wait at least half a day or so. So I'll go make tea now, and when I'm ready, I'll tell you, okay?"

Hiccup's soft smile met hers. "Of course, milady." Then, he sealed her lips with another kiss.

* * *

After spending some more time frolicking around in the sand, Astrid had made her tea and Hiccup had gone to bed. She'd joined him early in the evening; as much as she didn't want to admit it, she had been quite jittery with anticipation. If she recalled what her mother and other women on Berk had told her correctly, letting the herbs do their work overnight would be safe enough, especially considering she'd had her period only a day or so ago.

She woke to an empty bed, telling her it was early in the morning, or later. It was still warm enough nevertheless; now that they were only a little over a month away from summer, the volcano was starting to heat up even further as well.

She got out after spending a few more minutes lazing around, straightening the brown tunic she was wearing as a nightgown. It was one of Hiccup's old tunics and it was ragged in a lot of places, but she liked it. It was just long enough to cover her ass and a little too large, allowing Hiccup's hands to slip under it quite easily when they were in bed. And it smelt like him, keeping him close during the nights he wasn't there.

She washed her face using the water from the lake, which they kept in a basin in their cave so they didn't have to fly down all the time. At the entrance of the cave, she found Toothless and Stormfly lazing around in their usual spots and Hiccup fully dressed except for his helmet, practicing with Inferno. Knowing Hiccup's usual habits, it meant they'd just come back from their usual morning flight – although judging by the lack of light, it was still pretty early.

Hiccup was facing the entrance of the cave so she walked up to him, but as she got closer, she decided to sit down on the top of his desk, allowing her to see the concentrated expression on his face. There was something intriguing about the way he moved, but she had never allowed herself to properly watch him.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked, turning around to face her.

"No, I don't think so," she told him.

"Do you want to get breakfast, or?" he continued, letting Inferno slip back into its hilt as he started to make his way over to her.

"No." She shook her head, biting her lower lip. "Please just go on with what you were doing. Pretend I'm not here."

Hiccup gave her a puzzled look, his eyebrow creasing. "Okay?"

She didn't give him any further explanation, just nodding at him to get going. After holding her gaze for a bit longer, he nodded, spinning on his heel and releasing Inferno back from its holster. He never ignited it in moments like these, she noticed – it was most likely a waste of Monstrous Nightmare gel to do so – but the blade still held an appeal most other swords didn't. Because it was so different from all those others.

There was nothing usual about the way Hiccup moved with it either. He was good at it, first and foremost – after all, they'd been very closely matched in their duel down in the cove on Berk. But he never seemed to practice with a target; he was always out in the open, going through this choreography of cuts and slices, all of them slightly different from the one before it, creating a rhythm when used consecutively.

There was a certain nuance to it however that she had never seen in any Viking before. Although she didn't know whether Hiccup could still be called a Viking in the first place, or if he'd lost that side of him during his years away. Vikings fought with strength, aggression, stubbornly going at it with everything they had; a sword was a rare weapon of choice for most of them for that reason alone. Especially when fighting dragons, having a weapon that would easily crack their skulls was a logical choice. Swords required a certain kind of finesse, a degree of control. Which Hiccup seemed to possess. Which suited him.

There was never any force behind his swings and cuts, but a sense of technique, rather, forcing the blade to slice through his confidence rather than through sheer power. The fluency of it, the grace which with he moved captured and intrigued her, and she couldn't help but see the enormous contrast between the boy she knew from Berk and the young man she was watching right now.

She bit her lower lip, pushing her thighs closer together to suppress the tingling sensation she started to feel between them as she started to wonder what he would look like doing these things  _without_  his armour. The way his toned but lithe muscles would move, contracting and releasing with every swing. How they'd match the gorgeous concentrated expression on his face, only breaking as he occasionally took a deep breath.

Asking couldn't hurt.

"You know, Hiccup," she started, slightly separating her legs, knowing that if he turned around and looked he'd be able to see underneath his own old tunic. "I think you might have woken me up after all."

He twisted his head to look at her. She could see his eyes darting down and she smiled when he did, licking her lips when his green eyes settled back on hers. "So I suppose you want me to make it up to you?" he asked, his voice slightly unstable.

"Yes," she nodded, biting her lower lip. "Take off your suit." She gestured with her hand. "And carry on."

He squinted his eyes at her before flashing her a cheeky grin. "Alright."

Turning away from her, he started to remove his gloves and the tougher pieces of his armour, putting them on the floor one by one. After that, he tugged on the straps of his armour, loosening his flight suit at a way slower rate than usual, making her even more impatient. She pretended not to see his grin when a sound escaped her as he finally pulled the last piece of leather over his head, revealing the well-defined lines of his back and shoulders.

Hiccup quickly shimmied out of his pants and boots after that, looking over his shoulder and pointing at his shorts. "Those stay on. Safety precaution."

"Wouldn't want you hurting yourself," she agreed, closing her legs as she found his gaze wandering downwards again.

Hiccup gave her a sly smile before turning back around, picking Inferno up from the floor where he'd momentarily left it. He gripped it tightly as he took a deep breath, the thin yet well-pronounced muscles of his left arm showing as his chest heaved. He drew his sword back and his left foot along with it, glancing at her and winking before he swung it forward in one smooth motion.

It didn't take Hiccup long to get back into his previous rhythm after that, his movements smooth yet powerful, his feet not lagging far behind. Occasionally, he'd pause for just a second, twirling the hilt of his blade around in his palm or tossing it from one hand to the other as he repositioned himself. His lips were pursed, his one eyebrow creased as he moved, but his actions seemed to naturally flow into one another. Effortlessly. As if he didn't have to think about it.

As intriguing as it had been to watch him before, it didn't quite compare to how fascinating it was to look at now. She could see every subtle movement below his skin, the way his lithe muscles would show and how the lines of his scars would twist at his command. The exertion left Hiccup panting, the hair at the nape of his neck slightly wet, a few droplets of sweat trickling down onto the smooth skin of his back on one side and mingling with his scars on the other. It made him look even more handsome than he already was.

Watching him like that, strong, confident and incredibly skilled, made her skin grow hot, her canines sinking into her lower lip as her breathing turned heavier. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around the fact that the young man she was currently watching was the same person as the quirky boy she'd only vaguely known back on Berk. Who she'd stood in the arena with, watching him flail around aimlessly, unsure of what to do with himself and getting in other people's ways in the process. Whose combination of clumsiness and over-eagerness had brought destruction to Berk on more than one occasion.

This Hiccup, in this moment, was hardly anything like that anymore. It should be a crime for anyone to mature as well as he had. But it wasn't necessarily the way in which his body had grown – his posture taller, his jaw sharper, his muscles more defined – that had changed him. Because that dorkiness was still in there, it hadn't faded and she was happy it hadn't. That was him too, after all. But instead, it was the way in which he carried himself that had transformed him into the thoroughly handsome man he was today. Despite his quirkiness. Despite his scars.

His confidence had visibly reshaped him. She didn't know if it was because he'd ripped himself away from the people who used to put him down, or whether he just didn't care about what others thought anymore. It was likely a combination of the two. But this Hiccup had stopped continuously apologizing for the things that made him him. He wore his qualities and his quirks with certainty and determination, without the doubt that used to make him stumble with every step he took. And that self-awareness, that confidence made her heart beat faster, thoroughly turning her on.

She wanted him. And she wasn't going to wait any longer.

Fearless, she hopped off the edge of Hiccup's desk, walking up to him with self-assured strides. He turned to look at her, but she shook her head. "Stay still."

He twirled Inferno around in his hand, the blade retracting with a few metallic noises, but remained in his spot when she reached him. She stayed behind him, moving her fingers to touch his back and his shoulders only so slightly, softly tracing all the gorgeous lines engraved in it. She made sure to spend at least as much time on his scars as she did on his muscles, because every part of them, every line, every crease belonged to him. And she wanted him to belong to her.

She circled around his right side, letting her fingers trail along the lines on his arm, all the way down to his palm and his skilful fingers. Then, she put both of her hands on his torso, still not looking up at him and meeting his gaze. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling in sync with her own, her downwards wandering eyes giving her confirmation that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

She looked up at him, her gaze instantly drawn into his. Hiccup's eyes were almost black, staring at her hungrily as his mouth was opened only so slightly, but he didn't move. She pushed herself up on her toes, reaching up to bury her hand in his hair as she moved her mouth to his ear, kissing it softly before whispering the words she knew he'd been waiting to hear since his return.

"I'm ready."

Hiccup's reaction was almost instant. She heard Inferno clatter to the floor as his lips came down crashing onto hers and she found herself stumbling backwards as he put one hand on her shoulder and one on her hip. He guided her with too little force to make her trip, but just enough to make it clear to her that he was taking charge.

Her back hit the nearest rock wall, making her gasp as he locked his lips with hers once more, his kiss rough and demanding. She moaned as he leant into her, wrapping her arms around his neck as he trapped her between cold stone and his warm body.

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt him rub against her thigh, his cock already hard and throbbing underneath the fabric of his shorts. But what devoured her most of all was the look in his eyes as he gazed down at her, dark with hunger and desire. Almost feral.

"Tell me what you want, Astrid," he told her as he leant in, his voice low and hoarse as he dragged his lips along the skin of her cheek.

His hands moved down to her waist before creeping underneath her tunic, his fingers on the hot skin of her ass making her thoughts spiral out of control, the burning desire between her legs making it so she could only utter one word. "You."

Hiccup laughed softly, tickling her as his lips ghosted along the skin of her neck, slowly going downwards as one of his hands trailed up along her waist. "You're going to have to be more specific."

Another whimper left her as he palmed one of her breasts, alerting her to how sensitive she already was. "I want you."

She could see Hiccup smile from the corner of her eye as he dragged his tongue along the skin just above her collarbone. "You want me to what?"

The husky sound of his voice alone made her squirm, wishing he'd just touch her somewhere, anywhere. "To make me yours."

Hiccup moved back up, leaving the spot he'd just licked slick, hot and needy. His eyes were even worse than they'd been before, drowning her as he cocked his head, a crooked smile lingering on his lips. "I could mark you," he told her as he kissed the corner of her mouth, moving away before she could catch his lips in a proper kiss. He softly nuzzled her cheek with his nose as he spoke and she buried one of her hands in his hair, letting out another sigh. "Make you mine, and mine alone."

"Do it," she replied, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

She was sure she looked like a desperate, pleading mess. But she didn't care as Hiccup stole a kiss from her before moving his lips downwards again, pressing kisses to her neck until they were back at that familiar pressure point at the base of it. He softly caressed the curves of her ass and breast as he pressed his lips to it.

The sensation took her by surprise when he started sucking on it with enough force to make her writhe, her fingernails burying themselves in his shoulder. He squeezed her breast as he continued, softly playing with her nipple and making her moan until finally, he let her neck go with a popping sound.

She shivered pleasantly as he peppered a series of soft kisses to that same spot, her skin feeling tender underneath his touch. Gazing down, she found it turning red already, Hiccup grinning her as if to reassure her that yes, he'd done that, before catching her in another demanding kiss, his tongue delving in to meet hers.

"Now no one else can have you. But me," he whispered as he dragged his mouth down to that tender bruise again, teasingly kissing it.

His hand moved to caress the inside of her thigh, alerting her to the burning need at her centre. "What next, Astrid?" He leant into her a little further, rubbing his throbbing cock against her thigh. "I know what I want. But I need you to tell me what  _you_  want me to do."

She cupped his face with her hands and pulled him into a rough kiss, his nose pressing against her cheek as he fully returned it, his hand still stroking the inside of her thigh, moving upwards only so slightly. He was driving her outright insane. And she absolutely loved it.

"Take me," she whimpered, her voice hoarse and her breathing uneven.

Hiccup grinned at her, his green eyes taking her in with amusement and lust. Agonizingly slowly, he dragged one of his fingers through her slick folds. "It certainly does feel like you could take me."

He teasingly brushed her clit before rubbing his fingers against it. She cried, quite sure her legs would give out beneath her if he gave her even more. He jerked his hands away from her instead, making her stumble as he leant back, the pressure of his body against hers having disappeared. Before she could collapse however, he scooped her up in his arms, carrying her just like the Phantom had on that first night so many months ago.

Hiccup put her down on the furs with care, pressing a tender kiss to her lips as he grabbed the hem of his old tunic, only releasing her so he could pull it over her head, leaving her naked beneath him. Her own hands wandered down his torso to the waistband of his shorts, untying the strings, after which Hiccup quickly released himself from the constraining fabric.

They just stayed like that for a moment, taking in each other's naked bodies with lustful eyes, both of them breathing heavily. She'd seen Hiccup like this many times before, but it felt different now, a sense of anticipation hanging between the two of them that had never been there before.

They were going to do this. And there was nothing she wanted more. No one she wanted more but him. She wanted to explore every inch of him, see his every emotion, know his every secret. And she wanted him to have all of her too.

Her stomach filled itself with butterflies, her need growing hotter as Hiccup lowered himself, brushing her bangs out of her face. There was a softness in his eyes as he gently stroked her cheek, his gaze wandering down to the mark he'd left on her neck. "Do you still want this? And please tell me if I hurt you."

She looked back at him, smiling at the fact that he could be so intense yet caring in the same moment. She let her eyes travel down his body, once more admiring every shape of it until her gaze landed on the way his hard length stood away from it. It didn't intimidate her.

"Hiccup," she simply said, cupping his face in her hands and delving into the auburn locks just behind his ear as she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. She arched her body into his as she moved to his ear, letting him feel her lower stomach against his throbbing groin as she spoke. "Please  _fuck_ me."

Hiccup's lips curved into a crooked smile just before he kissed her again, his scarred hand groping her breast as she moaned into it. He took control of the kiss as he repositioned himself, pushing her legs further apart so he could properly settle between them. She gasped as she felt him reach down, softly diving into her with one finger, then two, testing how sensitive she was before finally, she felt his tip prod against her entrance.

He slowly pushed into her, softly caressing the curve of her hip as she arched into him, enjoying the sensation of him filling her inch by inch. She was sensitive, but in a good way, and she thoroughly enjoyed watching and feeling Hiccup shudder above her, the experience affecting him as well, a soft groan escaping his mouth as he pushed on until finally, he was completely inside her.

"Are you good?" he asked, the words hardly audible as he shivered, seemingly struggling to control himself. She nodded up at him. She felt more than good. She felt amazing.

Hiccup's eyes settled on hers, drawing her in as he slowly drew back, making her whimper at this new feeling of friction before he thrust back into her, that feeling somehow engulfing her even more. He watched her with hungry eyes as he slowly built up a rhythm of long, steady strokes, making her writhe and moan beneath him. Her own hips surged forward outside of her control to meet his movements, looking for more of him, more friction, more pleasure.

" _Hiccup_ ," she moaned, his name more of a whisper as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding onto him for dear life. He instantly responded by increasing his pace, his harder, deeper thrusts making her cry out loud. She clenched around him every time he rocked into her, satisfying her yet leaving her wanting more again and again.

It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before and it was all him, all Hiccup, all heat and fire between the two of them, which seemed to only burn brighter with every move, every touch.

Hiccup looked at her with hungry eyes before he lowered himself slightly, his weight pressing down onto her and making her feel even better, closer, to him, to the stars, to the burning desire at the pit of her stomach. His lips ghosted along her skin, pressing soft kisses down her neck until he reached his mark down at the bottom of it.

"You're mine," he told her as he kissed it, his voice low and husky, his hot breath brushing against the sensitive spot. "And I am never letting anyone else have you."

All she could do was moan in response as he softly sucked on the mark, still thrusting inside her until she cried in extacy.

Eventually however, he straightened himself, his thrusts slowing as he looked down at her. There was a glint in his eyes as he watched her surge her own hips forward, trying to coerce him into moving again, but he didn't relent. Then, he almost fully withdrew from her, making her glare at him as she shivered and whimpered.

"Who do you want, Astrid?" he asked, something evil creeping through from behind his gorgeous green gaze.

"You," she told him without hesitation, grabbing his face and dragging him back down to her.

He only gave in a little however, still hovering inches away from her as he slowly buried himself inside her again. "Say my name."

"Hiccup," she breathed, earning her another thrust. Slowly, he resumed his rhythm, leaning back into her as she whispered his name, until his lips were finally on hers again, kissing her hungrily.

After his agonizing absence, his movements felt even better than before. Every thrust, every piece of friction set her on edge, his ragged chest dragging over hers, making pleasure spark in her hardened nipples. Her back moved across the furs as he thrust harder, faster, unrelenting, their kissing turning sloppy as they were both gasping, panting. She could feel the pressure, the heat start to build at her centre, slowly winding tighter until he lowered his lips to her ear once more, his next phrase a hot near-whisper.

"And now my other name."

It took her a moment to register what he meant in her heated haziness, but when he moved back to look at her, she understood. There was a gleam in his eyes, a delicious sense of wickedness, his crooked smile fuelling her darkest desires;  _he_  was in control. She was at his mercy. She was his. And only his. Because he wanted her to be no one else's.

There was only one word she could associate with that, and when it left her lips, it left her more like a prayer than a name. " _Phantom._ "

His smile widened, scrunching his scars before he kissed her hard, catching her lower lip between his teeth as he surged into her, burying himself to the hilt with one powerful thrust. Pleasure hit her in a way it hadn't hit her before, making her cry into his mouth and arch into him, her nails burying itself into his back so deeply she was sure it'd leave marks. But she didn't care as he continued to move inside her like that, making her cry, beg, plead to the gods for more.

The world around the two of them faded as Hiccup pushed himself up onto his arms again, hitting her at a slightly different angle that made her outright scream. She held onto him as tightly as he could, gasping at every thrust as she got closer to her release, the pressure building until she finally broke.

She came hard around him, her muscles clenching and convulsing as the impact of her climax took her with full force. Waves of pleasure rolled through her as she felt Hiccup still thrusting inside her, taking her through it and drawing it out to the point she feared she could take no more, listening to her name rolling off his gorgeous tongue repeatedly. " _Astrid._ "

Then he slowed, his thrusts laboured as he closed his eyes and groaned, pulling out of her with a little more force than was comfortable. She watched in awe as he stroked himself a few more times before he came with a loud growl, spilling onto himself and her stomach as he shuddered, looking beautiful in the process.

He collapsed onto the furs next to her after that, both his body and hers still shaking as he turned and took her in his arms, pulling her against his warm chest. They just laid there for a while, panting and trembling as they held each other, not bothered by how some of Hiccup's sperm dripped onto the furs. They could wash it later.

"To say that was pretty close on my end would be an understatement," Hiccup eventually told her, his voice still unstable.

She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head as she tried to find her voice. "I'm not even sure I would have blamed you. Fuck, Hiccup, that was so  _insanely_ hot." She pressed her forehead against his shoulder so he couldn't see the blush on her face. "I can't wait until we do that again."

"Well, that's what you get for basically fucking me with your eyes for half an hour." She didn't need to see his face to know he was grinning as the words left his mouth. He hooked his finger under her chin and drew her upwards, his lips there to meet hers as he pulled her into a long and sweet kiss.

His fingers wandered down to the fresh mark on her skin as they lazily made out, and she leant back to give him a scolding look, gazing into his emerald eyes. "I am yours. But that also means that you are mine."

"Of course I am," he grinned, a bit of his dorkiness shining through as he rolled her on her back and climbed on top of her. He reached over to grab one of their cleaner pieces of cloth, wiping himself off and her afterwards, making sure to caress her curves as he did. "Who wouldn't want to be yours? You are the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and  _by far_  the most gorgeous woman I've ever been with. And that's saying a lot, given my… past experiences." He grinned, his gaze turning softer as he leant down to her. "But I can assure you that none of those even come remotely close to today. Because I love you. Like I've never loved anyone before."

She buried one of her hands in his hair while her other moved to caress the scarred side of his back. "I am so glad you are alive after all. After everything."

He smiled softly, his gaze fond as he moved in to kiss her. "And if you are what I get as a reward for pulling through and living, then that's all the reason I need to continue doing so. Because I don't know what else I could possibly want but you."

And being there, in his arms, their lips softly meeting, she no longer knew what she could possibly want but him either.

* * *

Stoick the Vast had resisted the temptation of going down into the tunnels during the next raid. He no longer believed he could gain anything from it, apart from another series of insults from the Phantom. The tunnels were the Phantom's terrain. And he had to stop trying to fight him there. Not because he couldn't; after all, he was confident even the Phantom would one day slip up, or become overeager. But because he didn't have a sound plan. And more importantly, Berk needed him on the surface.

The Phantom had done his usual thing during that night's raid. The only difference had been on their side; Stoick's own presence and that of the Hoffersons, who had arrived back home roughly a week before that. They had searched for over three months, visited friendly and non-friendly islands alike. But no one knew where Astrid was. So they had come home, hoping Stoick would be able to tell them something, anything. But the only knowledge he'd shared with them was that as far as he knew, she was either dead or with the Phantom. Which wasn't a lie. After all, he didn't know if the Phantom's words were true. And he didn't want to burden the Hoffersons with thoughts of what might be happening to their daughter.

The afternoon after the raid he woke up to another note, waiting for him in the same place as always; just on the other side of the window. He was quite sure what it would say, but picked it up from the ground nevertheless, figuring he'd rather be certain. Spreading the note out, holding it into the sun, he could indeed make out the same message as the one he'd consistently received since his last encounter with the Phantom. Apart from one detail.

_She's_ _**fine** _

_I hope you intend to keep it that way_

_Who are you going to sacrifice next?_

_To preserve your honour, your pride?_

_I'm getting impatient, 'Chief'_

_Make your choice, before I decide_

The word 'fine' was stressed, highlighted, making it pop out even more than it already did. He didn't know what to think of that. And he didn't have time to ponder on it, as his thoughts were interrupted by a series of knocks on his door.

"Who is it?" he grumbled.

"Gobber, Chief," his friend answered.

He walked to the door, opening it to find Gobber behind it, the look on the blacksmith's face one of worry. "What's wrong?"

"I need you to come with me to Gothi's," Gobber told him.

Concerned, he followed Gobber along the path to the healer's home. "Did something happen to her? Is she injured?"

Gobber shook his head. "No, none of that."

The blacksmith stayed silent after that, steadily moving on until they pushed open the door to Gothi's house, the two of them hardly fitting inside the small cabin. Inside, Gothi was going through her supplies, seemingly looking for something.

"She's been stolen from," Gobber informed him, making the old woman look up at the two of them. "That's all I got from her before she told me to go get you."

"What?" No one ever stole from Gothi. If they needed something, all Berk's villagers had to do was ask. "What's been stolen?"

Gothi frantically scribbled in the dust on the floor using her staff. Both he and Gobber tried their best to interpret the symbols, but couldn't make sense of it. Eventually, Gothi gave up and just started patting her cabinets, the ones they knew she kept her herbs in.

He recognized only a few of them. So he felt he had to ask. Just to make sure his lurking suspicions weren't true. "Anything particular those herbs are for, Gothi?"

The elderly woman softly patted her belly with her staff before gesturing at the two men.

"Against stomach pains?" Gobber asked, which got him a nudge from Gothi's staff and an agitated headshake in response. Gothi started scribbling again, and this time, they had no problems deciphering her message.

"Pregnancy," Stoick muttered, an iciness settling into his heart. Of the same temperature as the Phantom's voice the other night.

Gothi nodded before the old woman moved over to the other side of the room. She came back with a small piece of paper between her wrinkly fingers, handing it to her chief with a concerned expression.

He straightened the note, instantly recognizing the strokes with which the message had been written. Which weren't half as horrifying as the sentences themselves.

" _Thank you for letting me borrow some of your supplies. I will make good use of them._ " He paused, seeing that for once, the note had been signed. " _I remain your obedient servant. The Phantom_."

Gothi looked up at him in concern, but he hardly registered her stare as he crumpled the note in his fist, his blood starting the boil as the Phantom's earlier note started to make sense. She's fine. She's  _fine_.

He was abusing Astrid. Raping her. Taking her against her will, making sure she didn't get pregnant with his child in the process. Using her as a toy.

He'd had the suspicion before. But this made it terribly real.

His eyes settled on Gobber, his friend's words from the other day echoing through his mind again, like they had since he'd first spoken them.  _Are you willing to take the risk?_

There was no trusting the Phantom's words. He couldn't be certain he was actually doing those things to Astrid. But he couldn't let it happen to anyone else as well. He couldn't save her, but if there was even a slight chance he could save the rest of Berk, he had to take it. Even if it cost him his pride, and his dignity. He had to be willing to make that sacrifice.

The Phantom had told him to make a choice. So he did.

"Gobber," he resolutely called his friend as he turned, marching out the door. "Call a village meeting."

"What's the occasion, Chief?" Gobber asked, his voice resonating with confusion.

Indeed. He was Berk's chief. And it was a chief's duty to protect his own.

"I can't allow this to go on," he spoke. "It has to stop. Our pride be damned. The Phantom gets his way. Berk will stop killing dragons."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I gave you guys a Stoick cold-shower after smut again, but the structure of the chapter simply felt the best to me this way (even though it was quite similar to last chapter, structure wise. But hey, it would've been illogical for Hiccstrid not to follow through on their intention to sleep with each other as soon as they could… You know, horny youngsters :'D).
> 
> More next week! Which won't be another smut-heavy chapter again.
> 
> I realized that the link to ATOV's Discord server I talked about two chapters ago - on which this fic, and others can be discussed in the channel #aleteias fics - might be difficult to find on my Tumblr, so I'll leave it here as well: discord.gg/KXGHv6N
> 
> Please inform me if you find the link has expired at a later point in time so I can edit it.


	29. Entr'Acte - I Guess You Can Only Try

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another chapter! Had to get this one down quite quickly as I spent a lot of time doing detailed planning for the remaining chapters this weekend, so this chapter isn't my best work; but I can now confidently say that it's as good as done and that I am all set and ready to start working towards the climax of the fic. Which I'm very much looking forward to as I've had it in my head for a long time.
> 
> Chapter title refers to the end of Hiccup's speech at Stoick's funeral in HTTYD2.
> 
> Edit: For those of you who are here looking for chapter 30; I have made the decision to move to updating once every two weeks for the coming period, as I am currently working on my bachelor thesis and writing every week next to that is taking its toll to the extent that I don't have the energy for it. So the next update will be up on May 16 instead! Thank you for your patience ^^

The Great Hall was unusually noisy. Not that Vikings were ever very quiet to begin with; one of the upsides of having a voice that carries well was the fact that Stoick the Vast was one of the few people who could instantly shush the crowd. But he wasn't quite ready to do so yet. Instead, he was looking at the people gathered around him, taking in their expressions.

Gobber was the only one who had a sense of what he was going to say. But even the blacksmith was looking concerned. Reasonably so; neither of them had any idea of how Berk was going to react to his decision. It was probably the first time in any of these people's lives, or in Berk's existence, that someone was going to suggest the things he did.

A chief, that was. He couldn't help but think back to what Val had always said. She too, had long yearned to stop the fighting, fearing it would only make things worse. He had never listened to her. And somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if maybe, he should have. He had never tried things differently. His father would've laughed at him for the suggestion while he was still alive. And his village for trying to change things up after the former chief had only just passed.

But he'd also never properly considered it after he'd grown into his role as leader. Perhaps if he had, Valka would still be with him. And Hiccup as well. Even though the Phantom's appearance didn't have to do anything with either of them, he couldn't think back to his late wife's words. Because indeed, since the Phantom's coming, everything had only gotten worse. And now he was looking at the possibility of losing all of Berk. Slowly and painfully. Or in whatever way the Phantom desired. Because he couldn't shake the feeling that Astrid has just been the beginning.

The Hoffersons were looking at him, their faces pale. He'd taken them aside not long before, watched their faces break as he told them what he was about to share with the village. He'd apologized for only telling them so shortly before he told the others, but they had been as understanding as two parents in that position could be. After all, there was no right time to bring news like that. Which didn't make him feel any less guilty. Especially because he hadn't told them the full truth. That he'd suspected,  _known_ what the Phantom was doing to her all along.

Not far away from them, Ruffnut Thorston was nestled into Snotlout's lap, her twin brother shooting the two of them agitated looks at their open affection. The trio wasn't what concerned him however. It was Spitelout, sitting next to his son, holding his gaze. It was unusual for Stoick to call meetings without informing his second-in-command and the council first. He could see he was suspicious. But he didn't have the time to fight this fight with everyone individually. Or the energy, rather. Hoping the crowd would work in his favour rather than against him.

He swallowed, moving around in his seat. It was time to get this going. After all, if there were any people he shouldn't fear, it were his own.

"Alright!" he shouted. His voice echoed through the hall, causing his people to stop talking and look up at him, one by one. He waited for the last of them to finish whatever conversation they were having before he continued.

"Most of you are probably wondering why I called the whole village here. I know it's the day after a raid, and that most of you are still tired, but I simply did not want to wait with getting this news out to you." He caught Spitelout's gaze. "To all of you."

Taking a deep breath, he nodded at the Hoffersons. "You all know Astrid Hofferson has been missing for almost four months. And despite our best efforts, both on Berk and outside of it, she still hasn't been found. We have always suspected that the Phantom captured her, or killed her." He paused, placing his hands on the table in front of him, gathering the courage to continue. "This morning, I received confirmation that it is the former. From the Phantom himself."

A few gasps echoed through the hall, accompanied by some low muttering while most Berkians patiently waited for their Chief to continue.

"He wrote me a note. Left it on the floor of my house while I was asleep. The content of the note told me that Astrid was fine. But that he wouldn't leave it at that. And that he would take someone else as well. He mentioned no one in particular, but he wrote he'd do it soon."

The noise in the hall increased, but he held up one of his hands, shushing the crowd once more. "And I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking the same. We don't know if he actually has her or not. Maybe he killed her. But he is doing his best to make it seem like he is indeed keeping her captive. Because leaving me that note wasn't the only thing he did last night."

He held out one of his hands towards Gothi, the old woman nodding to indicate her agreement. "Gothi was stolen from last night. A combination of herbs that is only ever used to…" He closed his eyes for a moment as he saw Astrid's father move his hand to his mouth, struggling to hear the news once more. "To prevent pregnancy."

There were a few curses from the crowd as the meaning of that sank in. "And yes, we know for sure that it's the Phantom who stole them. Because he left a note to Gothi as well. Thanking us for letting him borrow our supplies. And saying that he'd make good use of them."

"I don't think I need to spell out what that means he might be doing to her." Even on the faces of the Thorston twins, the shock was visible as they seemed to consider that the Phantom could be abusing their friend. Likely was. "And I don't know how we could save her." He looked at the Hoffersons, giving them a regretting nod as he tried to steel himself once more. "I wish I did. I really do."

The hall stayed silent as he recollected himself. "But like I said, the Phantom threatened to take someone else too. And I don't know if he'd stop after that. And in addition to his threats, he also gave me a choice. Saying that he wouldn't kidnap anyone else and that he might even stop destroying our property every raid. If we obey to one of his two demands. Either we stop killing dragons." He could already hear some ruckus in the back of the hall. "Or we abandon Berk altogether."

Chaos erupted then, several Vikings getting up and slamming their fists on the table at the sheer audacity of the suggestion. Some started talking to each other, angrily waving their weapons around while others just shouted into whatever empty space they could find in front of them. A few of the quieter Berkians – a rare breed to begin with – just eyed the commotion around them before their gaze finally landed on their Chief, looking for some form of reassurance.

"Settle down!" he shouted, trying to calm the crowd by moving both of his hands. "I know it's outrageous, and –"

"He's a terrorist, Chief! And then he has the audacity to send threats on top of it!?" someone shouted.

Other Vikings chimed in. "Berk is our home!"

"I'd rather die than abandon everything we've worked for all these years!"

"I know," he nodded, raising his voice to make sure he was heard. "And I will never consider leaving Berk. We have been here for seven generations and we will not abandon this island because of one overly-arrogant lunatic!"

That got him a lot of agreeing shouts from his people and he let them rejoice for a while before speaking up again. "But I don't want anyone else to end up like Astrid. Preferably, I'd set up a trap, capture the Phantom so he can answer for his crimes, before he's executed. But we've got nothing on him. I have no idea how we could stop him. So unless someone else does…" He left room for suggestions, but no one spoke up. "… we could consider his other proposal."

"To stop killing dragons?" Snotlout shouted, almost knocking Ruffnut off his lap as he got up, slamming his fist on the table in front of him. "Chief, that's absurd!"

"How would we protect ourselves!?" another voice shouted. "Is he going to stop the dragon raids too!?"

"What about our homes!?"

"We don't have to kill them to protect ourselves from them!" he bellowed in response, too many voices bouncing off the Hall's walls. "We scare dragons away often enough. We just have to do that with all of them. And if the Phantom would leave us alone, that job would become a lot easier."

"Aye," Gobber nodded. "I'm with the Chief. We don't know if it will, but if it does convince the Phantom to stop sabotaging every weapon we own, it'd also give me the opportunity to get our weapon stocks back up. It's worth a shot at least."

"That's it indeed, the least we could do is try. We'll find out soon enough if he will keep his end of the deal and then we –" he started.

"And what if he doesn't?" one of the men shouted. "What if he just runs wild, knowing we aren't properly trying to defend ourselves!?"

"What if he commands his dragons to just destroy everything while they can!?"

"The dragons aren't his, they –" someone tried.

"Who will protect our children, what if the dragons get too close, could we save them in time, could we –"

"Who will protect  _my_ child!?" a voice echoed through the room, louder than all the others. All other discussions grinded to a halt as everyone stopped to look at Mrs. Hofferson, who was standing up, her fists balled and her eyes blazing with the same energy as her daughter's could. "She is out there. Still. There is no one there to look after her. I know she's an adult, but to me, she will always remain my little girl and we, not just us as her parents, but this whole village failed to protect her."

The mother trembled before she spoke up again. "We have no idea where she is. And we will go and try to find her again. But I ask you to think now, whether you'd let that happen to your own children. We can protect them from dragons, we have done so for many generations and we're good at it. Kill or no kill. We get it done."

A few people nodded as she continued, looking at Stoick himself first before she let her gaze wander around the crowd. "What we cannot protect ourselves from is this fiend, this maniac, this Phantom. No one has ever seen him. Heard him. Anything. We have never been close to catching him in the slightest. I know Astrid tried. And she got kidnapped in the forest, far away from all of us, trying to get justice for her village and paying the price for it. And who says this Phantom is not capable of doing more? Lifting our children, our boys and girls from their bed at night and taking them with him to do whatever he pleases?"

She lifted one of her balled fists into the air and even from a distance, Stoick could see the tears of anger and loss in the corners of her eyes. He knew that mixture of emotions all too well. "Yes, we're proud. Yes, we don't bow down to the demands of a terrorist. But how much will that pride be worth if we lose our children? Don't we owe it to them to at least try? Or are you all just going to stand idly by? To refuse to change, until it's finally too late? And Astrid's sacrifice will have been for nothing. Because we didn't listen. Because we refused to act. Because we couldn't put enough of our pride aside to try something different for once."

Astrid's mother gave the Vikings around her one more stern look before she nodded and sat back down, seemingly content with the silence she left in her wake. Her eyes landed on Stoick again, indicating to him that she had said what she needed to say. It was his turn again. And he was about to speak up before he got interrupted by someone else.

"Let's do it." He'd recognize the source of the voice even if he wasn't looking at the man, who had been oddly quiet all meeting long. "We might as well try," Spitelout continued. "The Phantom's shown us no sense of honour so far. Let's see if he'll prove us wrong."

That declaration of support set the rest of the room in motion. There were some shouts, at first, Vikings wildly discussing both the Hoffersons' and Spitelout's votes in favour of the plan. Some looks were shared around and across the circle between many of them, confirming that they were on the same page. Stoick let it happen, sensing the atmosphere in the room and waiting for it to quiet down on its own. They needed this, they deserved that time. He was asking a lot from them, after all. For stubborn-headed Vikings to change the way they always did it.

But eventually, the Great Hall of Berk quieted down. That's when he took the opportunity to speak up again. "So we're in agreement then that we will give it a shot during the next raid?"

There were some hushed sputters of protest to be heard, but those were shushed by other Berkians quite quickly. Most people just nodded, looking at their Chief with expecting eyes.

"Thank you," he told his people, from the bottom of his heart. "We will start as soon as possible; during the next raid. Which means no traps, no kills, and as little wounding as possible. Weapons are only allowed to be used to scare the beasts away. Don't give the Phantom the impression you're trying anything else. Because we never know where he is. But he could be watching. Always."

He sighed deeply before looking at his village in earnestness. "But like I said before, we have no idea if he will keep his word. So please be careful. Stay together. Don't be alone for too long, especially at night. Keep each other close. Look out for each other. While I will do everything I can to make sure that one day, soon, the Phantom's reign of terror will end."

After that final message, they broke apart. He could see not everyone was reassured, and his decision would probably be the hottest topic in the time to come. But he could live with whatever shallow majority he might have. Because he owed this to Astrid. To her parents. And to everyone Berk might have to lose in the future. To at least try.

He stuck around to handle some questions, a few of which were prompted by the meeting, but overall nothing too troublesome. After he'd put most of his people at ease to the extent that he could, he followed Gobber back down towards his shop. The blacksmith had been preparing supplies for the Phantom again, but this time around, Stoick had something to add to it. A note, with a phrase on it as simple as the Phantom's usually were.

_We will stop killing dragons_

It took the Phantom a few days to respond. But eventually, Stoick woke up to find something he'd never found on the floor of his living room before. A large yellow-and-black striped eel. With a note tied around its neck, wearing it as a collar.

_Interesting._

_Use this. Scares the shit out of them._

_A feeling you're familiar with, I'd say._

* * *

After that first time they'd been with each other – truly, deeply so – neither of them could get enough of it. They basically fucked like their lives depended on it; whenever, wherever, however. But Astrid wouldn't have it any other way. Because nothing could transcend that feeling of Hiccup being with her, the two of them promising themselves to each other over and over again. They went from being rough to incredibly sweet, their lovemaking ranging from soft and passionate to wild and feral. And she loved all of it. Because Hiccup was all of that. And even though she still struggled to get the words across her lips – after all, when do you say something like that for the first time? – she was starting to get the feeling that maybe, she did indeed love him.

Who else did she love, after all? She loved her parents. She loved Berk. Immensely. It had been and still was the reason she had gone with Hiccup in the first place. At least, that's what she believed. But she couldn't ever recall having feelings for someone the way she had those for Hiccup. This insatiable hunger, this need to know his every emotion, his every feeling and reaction. To see how he responded to her touch, how she could make him smile and how she could just listen to him talk for hours. She never grew tired of him. And she couldn't imagine she ever would.

All in all, it was quite unfortunate that they had other matters to attend to as well. Hiccup teased her for her dedication, but she wouldn't let him make the both of them stray from their course too much. Hiccup still went away for the raids as he always did, and she continued to train their dragon army. Because with summer coming in and the weather improving, there were a lot more hours to their days. And she made sure to use those as well as she could.

Overall, the drills were going well. Repetition seemed to be the key as a lot of moves and formations seemed to become a habit for the dragons. At least thirty others would join her, Snotlout, Fishlegs and Ruff & Tuff every day, with numbers easily going up to fifty on a good day – especially if Hiccup was there, because he still carried a gravitas that she simply couldn't live up to. Reasonably so; he had been the one to save and provide most of them with a safe home, after all. She was just running it.

The most consoling part about that was that she didn't just feel at home, but to know that, to this day, Hiccup put his trust in her when it came to his dragons. She had been training them for over three months now, but he had never tried to take the operation back in his own hands. Nor had he told her to do things differently. He had given her suggestions – a lot of which were on point – but apart from that, he'd listened to her and helped her whenever he could. He had given her control. And knowing where they'd come from – two people, at odds, without a single sliver of trust invested in the other, that just meant a lot to her.

Everything that had come after had been amazing, but this, their army, his trust in her to take care of that; from him, who seemingly didn't trust any other human in the world and hadn't for a long time, had been the foundation of their relationship. So she couldn't help but nurture and cherish that responsibility. Especially knowing that once she'd succeeded, once they'd succeeded, Berk would be free of the dragon raids. Hiccup would be free of his burden as the Phantom. All of them would have a chance for a brighter, calmer life. And she wanted that.

Currently, Hiccup was watching her as she soared through the sky, showing him some new flight patterns they'd been working on while he had been gone. He was sitting on the edge of a sea stack, Toothless lazing around in the sun on the other side of it. His sketchbook was in his lap, his gaze focused as he scribbled things down. It looked kind of adorable from up where she was, but she didn't want to let that distract her. He was distracting her often enough already.

When they were finished, she set Stormfly down on the sea stack, jumping off and caressing her beloved dragon's scales.

"So, how was that?" she asked, her voice triumphant. "It went pretty well if you ask me, the –"

She frowned, noticing how Hiccup was still looking at his sketchbook rather than at her. "Hiccup, are you listening?"

His head snapped up, the sun making the copper streaks in his hair light up as he looked at her. "Yes, of course."

She squinted her eyes. "I don't believe you." She walked up to him, peering over his shoulder to find that he wasn't making notes at all. "What are you drawing?"

Hiccup looked up at her, leaning his head against her legs as he grabbed one of her hands, softly pulling her down. "Have a guess."

She sat down next to him, letting her legs dangle over the edge of the sea stack as she leant into him, looking down at the fine lines of his sketch. He repositioned the book so she could see it better, allowing her to softly trace the shapes he'd created with her fingers. He'd drawn her in flight, on Stormfly's back, her hood only concealing part of her face as the rest of her hair was being swept back.

It looked beautiful. As always.

"I love it," she told him, too intrigued to look up at him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer as she continued to study the drawing, her eyes taking a long time to wander down to the bottom of the page. Where he'd scribbled something down. A phrase.

" _You alone can make my soul take flight_ ," she read out loud.

"It's true," Hiccup softly said as he pressed a kiss against her ear, burying his nose in her hair.

"It's really sappy," she laughed, turning her head to look at him. "You should've become a poet rather than a Phantom."

He smiled back at her, leaning his forehead against hers as his green eyes took her in. "I guess I could have. But then I never would've met you. Met you again, I mean." He put one of his scarred fingers on the page, pointing at the words. "And this wouldn't have been true. So I wouldn't have had anything to write about."

"Stop it, you," she retorted, a blush rising to her cheeks as he caught her lips in a soft and tender kiss, her hands still frozen on the sketchbook in her lap.

"I won't," he told her resolutely, moving one of his hands to trace the line of hickeys he'd left on her neck, some of them having faded during his time away. She could still spot a few of her own on his skin as well. Proof they were each other's. "Because it's what you mean to me."

He kissed her again, a mere peck before he pulled away. "I have been flying for over five years," he started, brushing her bangs away and tucking some strands that'd come loose from her braid behind her ear. "It's still exciting, and I love it, with everything I am. But you, you are the one who makes me feel like I'm truly off the ground. And that phrase –" He paused, tapping the words on the paper.  _You alone can make my soul take flight_. "Captures that feeling perfectly. Because only you could do it."

She smiled as he cupped her cheek, her gaze wandering from the words on paper back to him. Looking at him then, his face lit up by the sun and his radiant smile, she had to admit that the phrase did make sense. "You do the same to me," she whispered, her voice soft. "When I'm with you, I feel like I'm soaring."

"See?" he laughed, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose and throwing her a cheeky smile. "Not that cheesy after all."

"Oh, it still is," she reassured him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But it's also kind of sweet."

"I'll take it," he smiled, picking up the sketchbook from her lap and tossing it to the side. Before she could question it, he pulled her onto his lap, kissing her longingly. She hummed against his lips, eagerly searching for his tongue as she put one hand on his chest and buried the other in his hair, pulling him even closer.

She could feel him grow hard as their kisses continued to deepen, one of Hiccup's hands creeping up her leg and caressing the thigh. Knowing all too well what he was trying to achieve, she leant back, giving him a scolding look. "Hiccup."

"Hm?" was all he replied with as he traced the line of her jaw with his nose, making her shiver as he nestled his face into the crook of her neck. He knew her too well.

"We really have to get back in the air." He caught her lips again, making her sound out of breath when she continued. "Before the other dragons fly off again." That was always the biggest hassle, waiting for everyone to get assembled.

Hiccup gave her a crooked grin, the lines of his scars being reshaped with it. "I thought you just said that I can make you fly?"

She rolled her eyes, punching his shoulder. "You're impossible."

"And I love the way you look when I'm annoying you." He sealed her lips with a long kiss, getting up and pulling her along by his hands. She could see a little twinkle in his eyes when he released her mouth. "But if flying is what you want, then I might have an idea."

She let him drag her backwards, one arm around her waist while he kissed her. Slowly, he led her towards Toothless, who was still lazing around on the edge of the sea stack, one of Hiccup's hands blindly searching for the dragon. She giggled as she realized what he was trying to do, her own hands fumbling with one of the many buckles on Hiccup's armour. Flying in every sense of the word did seem like an interesting thing to try.

From the corner of her eye, through her half-closed eyelids, she caught Hiccup's hand grabbing a hold of one of Toothless' ears. The dragon shot the two of them a look with his green eyes, a low growl escaping his throat as he seemed to realize what the two humans were doing.

Everything happened quickly after that. Toothless moved and the next thing she registered was how Hiccup was torn away from her, a loud "What the –!?" escaping from his throat. His first exclamation was followed up by a loud yelp as she watched how Toothless had latched onto the back of Hiccup's armour and confidently flung his rider over the edge of the sea stack.

" _TOOTHLESS!?"_ was all she heard until Hiccup's exasperated shout was silenced by the sound of a large  _splash_.

Both concerned and struggling to contain her giggling – the sea stack wasn't very high so there was no way Hiccup could've gotten hurt – she looked over the edge of it. But she couldn't help but burst out in laughter as she caught sight of Hiccup, wading around in the ocean below, his hair completely drenched and sticking to his face, the look on it thoroughly unamused.

He gave Toothless a scowl as the dragon peered over the edge as well, after which the Night Fury proceeded to sit upright, a look of pride on his face, clearly content with how he'd accomplished his mission. It made her laugh even harder.

"I don't think Toothless quite agrees with your idea, babe!" she shouted, the smile on her face only widening when Hiccup glared at her in response.

"Ha-ha, very funny," he pouted.

"Seems like he thought you needed help to  _cool down_!" she howled.

"You're terrible at making jokes, did you know that?" her boyfriend shouted back.

She held her stomach as she doubled over, still laughing. "He gave you a  _cold shower_!"

"Astrid." The look on Hiccup's face was absolutely priceless.

"Looks like  _Toothless alone can make you take flight_!" she shouted, the dragon looking at her weirdly at the mention of his name.

" _Astrid_."

"What is it, honey?"

"Please come get me back up."

She shook her head with a playful smile. "No thank you, I think I'll enjoy the view from up here for a while longer."

"I hate you."

* * *

After she'd fished Hiccup out of the ocean, they had continued with their drills after all. Although not before Hiccup had sort-of-argued with Toothless, stating that the dragon was supposed to be on  _his_ side and that their mutual wingmanship was over. Not that that dynamic had been very two-sided in the first place; Hiccup had once shared with her that they had never actually seen a female Night Fury. Or another Night Fury to begin with. Luckily, Toothless didn't seemed to mind, often doting over the other dragons' hatchlings and gladly serving as their Uncle and babysitter. Which often seemed to extend to babysitting Hiccup as well.

She finished her part of the drills before dinner, and Hiccup would continue with some of the more nocturnal dragons during the night. They'd felt it was good for him to take some time to practice without her there as well and it gave them a way to use their desynchronized sleeping schedules to their advantage.

"So,  _General_ , are you happy with today's progress?" Hiccup asked her, giving her a teasing smile as he handed her a smoked Icelandic cod on a stick, the two of them sitting next to each other at the fire.

"We had some obnoxious and overly-eager diversions along the way," she answered, speaking overly formal before sticking out her tongue at him. "But yeah, I think overall we're doing well." She took a bite off her fish, munching on it before she continued to think out loud. "There's just a certain limit to what we can do here. Given that we only have stationary targets to practice on, we won't know how they will react fighting the actual Red Death. I have no idea how they will deal with that. I don't even know how I will." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Or you."

"Don't worry about me," he replied, his voice soft as he looked down at his feet. "I will manage, one way or another. It has to be done one day after all. Can't let these haunt me forever." He softly patted the scars on his face before he gazed at her, his green eyes mellow. "And if you're there as well, then I will probably be too busy worrying about you to spend time wallowing in self-pity."

She laughed softly. "I guess that works. But, regarding us –"

She could feel Hiccup freeze as the words left her mouth, his single eyebrow creasing as he watched her, his expression guarded. Realizing how he'd interpreted the phrase, she quickly shook her head. "Oh no, no, that's not what I meant at all! I just wanted to say that it'd probably be useful to keep  _our_ skills up as well."

Seeing how he hadn't completely relaxed yet, she added: "I know you practice with Inferno a lot, which got me thinking that maybe I haven't done enough myself lately and that we could start sparring."

"You could have just said 'We could start sparring', you know," Hiccup pointed out, his face relaxing into a smile. "But sure, if you want to lose to me again, we can do that."

She squinted her eyes at him. "I didn't lose."

"Oh yes, you did," Hiccup argued.

"I do remember  _me_  pressing  _your_  dagger to  _your_ throat," she pointed out, poking his chest.

"After  _I_ beat you and disarmed you," Hiccup retorted, stealing her cod away from her.

"Seems like we have different definitions of winning," she laughed, trying to get her food back while Hiccup leant back, stretching out his arm and abusing his height advantage.

Hiccup slid back when she started to climb on top of him. "Sounds like we should spar indeed, just so I can prove I won again."

"Deal." She pushed him down onto his back, finally snatching the fish back from him and contently taking a bite off it, staying seated on top of him.

Hiccup gazed up at her, letting his head fall into the sand as he redirected his eyes to the sky above them, in which the first stars of that night could be seen. After a while, his expression changed, surprise striking it. "I have an idea."

She cocked her head at him. "An idea for what?"

"For practicing on a big, moving target." He bit his lower lip, seemingly thinking as he spoke. "It's quite far away from here though, so you have to be really sure they're ready and it won't be a waste of time."

"Where is it? And what is it, even?"

Hiccup gave her a half-smile. "That's a secret."

She frowned at him. "Hiccup…"

"Hey," he called, putting his hands on her biceps and dragging her down to him. "Can't a guy just take the girl he loves somewhere as a surprise? I assure you, it's quite a nice island. Relatively safe too."

"To train an army? That's hardly a romantic trip away," she teased.

"It's something," Hiccup retorted. "We'll just have a lot of luggage to pack."

"Alright, fine," she conceded, rolling her eyes. "We'll go."

Smiling softly, he put his hand on her cheek. "Just tell me when you think they're ready, then. And I'll look for a few days during which I can be sure there won't be a new raid too soon."

She nodded, and he pulled her further down for a kiss. "I smell like fish," she tried.

"Still don't care."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we get a standing ovation for mama Hofferson?
> 
> The phrase "You alone can make my *song* take flight" is used quite often in the musical The Phantom of the Opera. I just had to use this spin on it, because it felt too fitting not to ^^
> 
> Massive kudos to @rannvadraws for giving me inspiration for the scene in which Toothless yeets Hiccup off the sea stack! <3 The comic that inspired it can be found as reblog to my Tumblr post of the chapter!


	30. Entr'Acte - Defenders of Berk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are back! As announced on my Tumblr (aleteia-ff) and edited into the author note of the previous chapter, I have shifted Phantom to a two-week update schedule because I can't handle updating once a week alongside working on my bachelor thesis. So no hiatus, just updating less often ^^
> 
> I'm very excited about this one!

Stoick the Vast had seen Berk go through almost everything throughout his lifetime. The wars they'd fought when they were still young. The slight uncertainty that had reigned when he'd just taken in the position of Chief. The joy that'd spread throughout the village when he had married. The outright ecstasy, the pride he'd been greeted with when he had announced that even though he'd been born way too early, the Gods had given him and Val a son. And the mourning, the grief when both of the people he loved, who Berk cared for, had been torn away from them by those damned dragons.

But never before had he seen Berk this  _afraid_.

They didn't look scared, necessarily. Not to the people who didn't knew the village as well as he did, at least. They looked the same as always; their composure tough, stoic, stubborn. And if anyone would even suggest that they were slightly fearful, they would reject that notion, perhaps even just as confidently as they normally would.

It were the changes in small things that told him otherwise. The minute alterations in how the Berkians went about their daily things. That had shifted only so slightly since that one meeting in which he'd told them the truth. Or a part of it.

The way in which several parents seemed to ask their children to come back inside just a little bit earlier. How their communal dinners in the Great Hall were attended by a few more people than before. The increased frequency with which the questions 'where were you?' and 'shall I come with you?' could be heard. The laughter that echoed through the village from the children playing there instead of in the forests.

For Vikings, for Berkians, this was unusual. Caution wasn't something most of them practiced naturally; the general attitude seemed to be to do first, and to deal with the consequences later. But, even though Berk had always been aware of the Phantom's presence and likely involvement in Astrid's disappearance, his confirmation had made it real. And it had shaken the island like it had never been shaken before. Because unlike the dragons, unlike any threat they'd faced before, they couldn't fight this one. Which left the normally brave Vikings defenceless. And somewhere deep down, afraid.

And he, as Chief, was completely powerless to do anything about it.

Somewhere, Stoick found himself hoping the next raid would come along soon. Not because he welcomed the dragons' presence; he never would. But so that Berk would have more certainty. About the Phantom's intentions. About whether he'd keep his word or not.

Because honestly, Stoick didn't know what they'd do if he didn't.

The possibility was a real one. That instead of leaving them alone, as he'd told him he would, he'd move on to wreak even more havoc than before. Making him look like a fool. Like an imbecile. But he could deal with that. What he couldn't manage was the thought that the Phantom could easily go further. And kidnap someone else from Berk after all. Who they would likely never find again.

Not that that stopped the Hoffersons. After their emotional speech at the meeting, they'd started to ready a ship once again, intending to leave within the next month. Because they couldn't sit still and wait for Astrid to show up again. They now knew he had her. And they wouldn't rest until they had their daughter safely back with them.

He could relate to that. As futile as another search might prove to be, it felt better than doing nothing. He knew that from the winter he'd searched for Hiccup. Desperately. Only to be left empty-handed in the end.

The Phantom himself hadn't given him any signs of life after the last eel-bound message he'd sent. The eel itself had ended up in Stoick's stomach after he'd checked it for poison and smoked it; the notion of dragons being afraid of them was ridiculous and he was not going to let the Phantom snicker at him from the shadows as he waved it around like a madman. He wasn't that gullible.

So all they could do was wait. Wait for the dragons to return, and the Phantom along with it. The tension in the village winding tighter, rising as the days passed. An anticipation of whatever could be coming for them. That was finally released when the first dragon cry could be heard in the distance, when the bells were rang and the horns were blown. Tones that had come to sound like they announced the arrival of the Phantom himself, rather than the beasts.

He spent the night in a blur. Rushing from house to house, from person to person. Helping them chase away dragons, defending their homes against the incoming fiends. Making sure none of them got killed – both Viking  _and_ dragon, for the first time. Reminding those who threatened to fall back into their old habits of what they were supposed to hold themselves to. What the consequences could be if they didn't. And keeping an eye on those that seemed reluctant but wouldn't dare to disobey direct orders from their Chief.

But that was all he had to do. Because at the end of the night, more food had been stolen than usual. But no one had been killed. No one had been taken. No weapon had been sabotaged. No building had been damaged by anything other than an angry dragon.

At the end of the night, the Phantom had kept his word.

* * *

The days after that couldn't be described as anything else but utterly eerie. In a way, Stoick had suspected that a raid gone well would give him release, a sense of rest and clarity. But in reality, it had only made their whole ordeal creepier.

There were whispers throughout Berk. Because they'd all noticed the lack of damage too. Deducted that that meant the Phantom had kept his word. Which made their enemy more tangible, easier to get a grip on for some. They were no longer dealing with a faceless monster. But with an anonymous man.

Monsters were a force of nature. Ungraspable, unreasonable, uncivilized. There was nothing you could do but fight them, day after day, until they'd finally admit defeat, leaving to lick their wounds. Or until they died.

Men, on the other hand, could be negotiated with. They were susceptible to reason, to bribes, perhaps even to emotion. Stoick knew those things weren't true for the Phantom. He'd asked him what he wanted often enough. And never had the fiend shown himself to want anything else but for his dragons to have the freedom to take whatever they wanted. With no ulterior motive or demand lurking behind it – or so it seemed. But at least once every day, he had to fend off someone who had thought of something that might make the Phantom leave with his dragons and return Astrid to them.

Stoick knew it wouldn't help at all. The Phantom demanded. He didn't negotiate. He'd had enough encounters with his enemy to be sure of that by now. And he wasn't exactly willing to make yet another deal with the Phantom either. He'd given him this. He wouldn't give more. There was only so far he was willing to cave.

Nevertheless, he couldn't deny that in one way or another, the Phantom keeping his word didn't sit right with him either. It shouldn't be this easy. This ghost, this monster had tormented them for two years. And with one change of habit – one that betrayed everything Berk stood for – he'd stopped. Just like that.

It couldn't be over that quickly. If it was, what did that say about the Phantom? What did it say about Stoick himself? Who had refused to budge for so long…

What would it have meant for Astrid if he'd done something earlier?

The Phantom himself didn't give him any clues either. He was suspiciously silent. And had only sent him one note in total.

_Well done._

_I knew you weren't completely unreasonable._

_For now, you shall have my mercy._

_And your people along with it._

It didn't say anything about Astrid. But he hoped the Phantom included her in 'his people'. And that she would have mercy too. Because that was all he could do for her. Beg for mercy to an enemy whose face he didn't even know. But who had managed to force him into this position after all.

And so once again, all he could do is wait. Wait for the next raid. And for the Phantom to show whether his agreement was a one-off occasion. Or if they could be permanently relieved, as long as they kept their end of the deal.

It took a long time. Longer than usual, he reckoned. At least two weeks, in which they tried to rebuild whatever they could, Gobber working tirelessly in the forge all the while. Until once again, the Phantom's arrival was announced.

The longer the night dragged on, the more dragons he fended off, baring his teeth, shouting, swinging his axe at them until they scuttled away, the more it felt just like the previous raid. Because once more, it was all he had to do. There were less people to protect this time. More people stationed at their most vital food supplies, chasing the dragons away. And not a single non-dragon explosion or attack. Or so he thought.

"Chief, a word?"

By now, he'd recognize that voice anywhere. And given that it wanted a word with him now, he wasn't looking forward to whatever came next.

He turned around, meeting his second-in-command face to face. "What is it, Spitelout?"

"There's something you need to see," the man told him. His face was littered with specks of ash, but that didn't seem to bother him at all. He looked as determined as usual. Or perhaps even more so.

"Alright," he nodded.

He followed along, Spitelout leading him through the chaos, towards the outskirts of the village. When they got there, he froze in place. Exasperated, he looked back at Spitelout, who had crossed his arms over his chest, the look on his face one of triumph.

On the ground in front of them was a Deadly Nadder, its crazed eyes darting around as it tried to escape from the net it was being constrained by. The beast had nowhere to go. But it wasn't dead yet. And hopefully, the Phantom hadn't seen.

He moved to rush forward, intending to scold Spitelout for his insolence later, but before he could, he felt the pressure of the flat side of Spitelout's axe against his chest. He looked at the man, searching for an explanation, but Spitelout just shook his head. "Let's talk first."

He took a deep breath, taking a step back to show his cooperation. "What do you want?"

Slowly, Spitelout lowered his weapon. "You're not being honest with Berk." He took a step closer. "You're not being honest with me."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, the question coming out snarkier than it should have.

"You made it seem like the note you got about Astrid was the first. I know that's not true," Spitelout argued, his gaze stern.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And why is this relevant now? Berk is under attack and you have captured a Nadder, which is the complete opposite of what we're supposed to be doing."

"Because I decided it is," Spitelout insisted.

"Really, Spitelout, can't this wait until tomorrow?" he groaned.

"No." Spitelout shook his head. Then, he pointed his axe in the Nadder's direction, lowering it towards its head. "And if you're not interested, the dragon dies."

"For Thor's sake, Spitelout, are you out of your mind!?" he hissed. "You don't know who's watching!"

"I don't care if the Phantom's watching," Spitelout bit back. "Let him see." He scoffed. "Unlike you, I'm not afraid of the lad."

"Neither am I," he instantly replied, meeting Spitelout's gaze. "But we made a deal. The Phantom honoured it. And so will I."

"Yes, he did, now didn't he? I wonder how all of that came about," Spitelout threw back, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

From the corner of his eyes, he watched the Nadder, which was still struggling against its constraints. "What are you getting at?"

"You and I both know that that note you got from the Phantom wasn't the first one," Spitelout continued. "This has been going on for way longer than that. Yet suddenly, you gave in."

"And what was I supposed to do instead? Risk him doing to anyone else what he's doing to Astrid as well!?"

"You don't know he's actually doing that," Spitelout coined.

He steeled his gaze. "I wouldn't put it beyond him."

"Because you know him so well, don't you?" Spitelout scoffed, one of his eyebrows pulling up.

He frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You've had contact with him through more than just notes," Spitelout stated, his expression serious while his lips curled up only so slightly.

He could feel his blood freeze. Spitelout didn't know about their interactions in the tunnels, right? He'd never told anyone but Gobber. And he'd trust his friend with anything. "What makes you think that?"

"You were gone for two raid nights. You might think the others didn't notice. But I did," Spitelout contently pointed out.

"I was running around the village. Defending it," he lied. He pointed at the Nadder, still constricted in the net. "Just like we should be doing right now, instead of bickering over this nonsense!"

"Did you talk to him?"

"What?" The question alone was baffling. "How could you –"

"Do you know who he is?" Spitelout insisted.

"No," he answered resolutely. "I have no idea."

"But you know him well enough to know he's a rapist," Spitelout continued, not letting the subject go at all, the last word hitting Stoick like a punch in the gut.

"It's not exactly a hard conclusion to draw, now is it?" he asked rhetorically. "He's a terrorist. He's been haunting us for two years. Of course it wouldn't be beyond him to…" He swallowed, unable to get the words across his lips. "It just makes too much sense."

Spitelout shook his head. "I don't buy it. You could be working with him for all we know."

"Why would I ever do that!?" he bellowed, exasperatingly gesturing at the man in front of him, who was giving him an unreasonably hard time. "All he wants is for these damn beasts to have the freedom to run amok! And I hate them as much as you do! But I am  _not_ willing to put my own people over my Thor damned pride!"

His outburst made him pant and tremble, momentarily silencing even the Nadder next to him. There was a slight hint of shock on Spitelout's face. But it didn't last long enough.

"It doesn't matter, though," the man continued. "It doesn't matter what you did or didn't do. All that counts is that you could have."

His heartbeat accelerated as an eerie feeling started to settle into his bones. "What do you mean," he hissed. He no longer questioned.

"What would the rest of Berk think of the possibility that their chief might have been working with the Phantom all along?" Spitelout suggested.

"That's absurd, they would never believe that!" His people knew better than that.

Spitelout shook his head. "I'm not so sure. They are scared, Stoick. Thanks to you."

"I'm not working with the Phantom," he bit. "And you have no proof of it either."

"And you don't have any proof that you didn't. But the Phantom cooperated suspiciously quickly. Instantly. You disappeared twice during raid nights – I can imagine some other people might see that if I tell them. And you lied about the amount of notes you received."

"All notes I got from the Phantom contained nothing more than threats," he bit.

"So it's up to the village to decide who they believe," Spitelout smiled. "And I'm not sure it would be their Chief, who wasn't able to solve the Phantom-problem right until Berk stopped killing dragons. Maybe, he is getting so old and senile that he is starting to sympathise with the beasts. And so the Phantom disappeared immediately after we stopped killing them."

"You couldn't possibly suggest that I  _am_  him," he scoffed. "That makes even less sense."

"Just that you're working with him could be enough," Spitelout argued. "At best, the whole village will turn against you. But worst case, they might want to consider… something different, for a change."

He let out a breath of disbelief. Of course. "That's what this is about. About your son and the chiefdom. About your own, selfish goals."

Spitelout nodded, letting the suggestion of a coup hang between the two of them.

He tried to keep his cool, but he struggled, his nostrils flaring. "You're threatening me with blackmail! A coup! Treason." Which he couldn't even be sure of the people of Berk would instantly reject. Given all he'd asked from them in the past two years. Especially recently.

He closed his eyes, recollecting himself before he looked at the man again. "But I'm assuming you have another option in mind. Or you wouldn't have come to talk to me in the first place." Spitelout simply didn't have the decency to announce a coup beforehand.

Spitelout smiled, taking a step back and swinging his axe around as he spoke. "This whole Phantom-thing is a mess. As much as I'd like to see Snotlout in charge now, I'm all too happy letting you handle it until the day you die. After all, there's no one left alive to compete with him." Stoick balled his fists as those words left Spitelout's mouth a little too cheerfully, gathering every ounce of strength he had to not lower himself even further and hit the man in front of him right in his jaw. "And I don't think you are desperate enough to believe Astrid would've ever had a shot. Or that she will, if the lass ever comes back."

"So then what is it," he demanded through his clenched teeth.

"Snotlout will be chief one day. But I want it to be clear to the whole Archipelago that he will be," Spitelout continued.

"His wedding," he deducted.

Spitelout nodded. "A proper chief's wedding. For all of the Archipelago to see. So there will never be any doubt as to who Berk belongs to."

"And if I don't agree?" In his head, he started to go over his options.

"Then a coup it will be," Spitelout told him decisively.

"You treasonous bastard," he bit. "You're wrong to think Berk will just go along with that so easily."

"Well, if they don't, we'll have to try a different approach," Spitelout suggested. "By bringing chaos back to Berk, for instance." He pointed his axe at the captured Nadder. "Might even start tonight."

"Don't you care about this village? About its people!?" he spat. "About what happened to Astrid!?"

"I care about our values, which you've betrayed!" Spitelout shot back. "Your ridiculous plan only got through because  _I_ agreed to it too. And you saw that as well." He couldn't deny that he had. "And no, after all the times she's ridiculed and rejected Snotlout, I can't say I care for Astrid Hofferson in particular."

"Thor damn you," he cursed, his body shaking as he watched Spitelout lower his axe towards the Nadder's head once more.

What could he do? Preferably, he'd hit the man, give him a piece of his mind on what his betrayal meant to him after all these years of them working together. But that wouldn't yield him anything. Spitelout's support was vital. Snotlout was the only possible heir.  _There's no one left alive to compete with him._

He knew that. He'd known for over five years. But he'd never been able to accept it. And today wasn't the day on which he would. But he couldn't throw Berk into civil war over his own grief. Not now. Not with the Phantom looming in every shadow.

It was a wedding. Just a wedding. The ceremony, the feast, the days of festivities surrounding it. That was all it took to preserve the unstable peace they established. With earth-shattering implications.

And so, Stoick the Vast budged. Easier than he had ever budged before. Conceding, like the Phantom had taught him to.

"Fine," he answered, his voice an echo in his own ears. "Snotlout and Ruffnut will have their wedding." A sense of distance overwhelming him, he walked up to the Nadder, Spitelout stepping out of the way. "I will announce it tomorrow." He pulled the net off the dragon, the beast scurrying off as soon as it got the chance to. He wanted to do the same.

"Thank you, Stoick," Spitelout mused, watching the dragon disappear into the distance. "And I'm assuming this will stay between us. If you don't want any more trouble."

"Aye," he nodded, recollecting himself as well as he could to look at Spitelout once more. "I won't forgive you for this."

"I don't need your forgiveness," Spitelout told him resolutely. "If you wanted to do this properly, you would've announced Snotlout as your successor years ago. So I'm done playing fair as well."

He didn't say another word. Instead, he walked off towards the centre of the village, his steps unsteady, his breathing uneasy. The discussion with Spitelout had been too surreal, too absurd. It shouldn't have happened. It never would've happened if the Phantom hadn't shown his face, if he hadn't disrupted everything in the village, if Valka had still been here, if Hiccup hadn't died, if those damned dragons –

Letting out a scream of frustration, he smashed his axe against the stone beneath his feet. The blade bent in response, the weapon deformed, made useless and ineffective. Resonating perfectly how he felt.

He only barely registered how Berk was starting to quiet down, its people breaking apart and its torches slowly being extinguished as the dragons took their leave. He heard some voices calling out to him, but he only barely registered the words. He slumped up the hill towards his house, the journey becoming tougher with every step, as if his confrontation with Spitelout was still pulling on him. And it was. Only barely keeping him from collapsing the further he got.

With the last ounce of his strength, he yanked open the door his house, the wood creaking and protesting as he slammed it shut behind him. The darkness he was left with was a blessing, blocking, drowning out everything else.

It took him a few heartbeats too many to realize that, despite morning not being near yet, it was  _too_ dark.

"Good evening, Chief. Or should I say morning? I'm sorry, I lose track of time, I –"

All he did was yell, throwing the blunt weapon he still had in his hand into the nearest wall. Not even remotely close to the source of the Phantom's voice. Because it wasn't near, it wasn't in front of him, or behind him, or next to him. It wasn't –

"Whoa, that was incredibly inaccurate and also entirely uncalled for."

Only after his act did he realize it had come from above him. From the loft of his house.  _Hiccup's old room._

He suppressed a sob, trying to gather his wits even though he only barely managed to stay on his feet. "What do you want?"

"I figured it'd been a while since we talked." The Phantom sounded awfully calm, although his mocking tone was omnipresent.

"And I would like it to stay that way," he bit.

"Well, you don't get to make the choices." Only then did he hear it. Another sound, coming from the direction of the stairs. A second figure. "So, let me make something clear. If you stop talking, or if you throw something at me again – I mean, despite your abysmal initial try, I assume by now you've figured out where I am – my dragon  _will_ kill you."

He couldn't see the beast in the pitch-black darkness around him. And it didn't matter. Any species could blow him to pieces quicker than he could ever reach it.

"What do you want," he sighed, too exhausted to yell at the man.

"Like I said, I just wanted to catch up. But where are my manners? I'm enjoying myself up here, so I'd suggest you make yourself comfortable as well." The Phantom paused, but Stoick didn't move. He wasn't about to accept the terrorist's 'kind' invitation. "Gods, fine, I'm just trying to be civil here, but if you want to get sore feet, be my guest. Or rather, I'll be yours."

"Where's Astrid," he groaned.

"Still in the same place."

"Stop it."

"Stop what?"

He sighed, his patience running out but unable to gather the energy to act. "Everything you're doing to her."

"Fine, I'll stop taking care of her. See how long she lasts without me," the Phantom scoffed.

"You know what I mean!" he yelled, balling his fists. He couldn't get the actual accusation across his lips.

"I'm sorry, Chief, but I'm afraid the details regarding  _that_  will remain between her and me. I'm a man of honour, after all."

"You're a sick freak," he bit.

"Never denied that," the Phantom snickered, audibly clacking his tongue. "But if you listen to a 'sick freak' like me, what does that make you?"

He ignored the question. "What does it take for you to bring Astrid back?"

"I told you before. I will  _never_  give her back." There was a change in the Phantom's tone, the same chilling cold with which he'd said the phrase earlier freezing his words once more. "You don't deserve it."

"And you don't deserve to have her, for Thor's sake!" he shouted.

"Yeah, but that's not exactly the determining factor here, now is it?" the Phantom hissed. "I have her. She's not coming back. And that's not going to change. I won't let it. So either you deal with it, or you don't."

"Then why are you here? To torment me!?" he bellowed, finding a last sliver of energy.

"Among other things, yes," the Phantom mused. "But no, I figured that after two raids, it'd be good for us to talk again. So allow me to start by saying that despite the minor  _hiccup_  you seemed to experience tonight, I think things have gone quite well so far. I'd even go as far as saying I'm pleased with your performance. Although I do wonder where my eel went."

His mind snapped back to how Spitelout had cornered him. So the Phantom had seen. As he'd expected.

A thought hit him then. "Are you with Spitelout?"

"Was that the other man's name?" the Phantom asked. "No, I'm not."

"I don't believe you," he hissed. It would make so much sense, the two of them working together, trying to hit him time and time again until he caved. But could Spitelout be that vicious, that vile? He had said tonight that he didn't care about Astrid in particular. But still, this had been going on for two years and that seemed too long, too well thought-out, too…  _Phantom-like_.

"Well, it's the truth," the Phantom retorted. "I'm not lying to you. I never do."

He grumbled, starting to get uneasy due to the prolonged time he was spending on his feet. "Then why were you watching?"

"This is my village," the Phantom stated with utter confidence. "I'm supposed to know what's going on. And that Spitelout of yours was threatening to kill a Nadder. I wasn't going to let that happen. But I have to say that it was quite a spectacle. I didn't know blackmail and back-handed threats were all that common amongst people who aren't, well,  _me_."

"You'd be surprised," he groaned. It wasn't the Viking way. But that didn't mean they abstained from it.

"But no, Chief, I have to say I am awfully uninterested in politics," the Phantom continued. "I don't particularly care about who sits on the throne of Berk."

"Why not?" he grumbled as he sat down in his chair, finally taking the room the Phantom had given him to do so. They were just speaking into the void after all. "It seems like it'd suit a snake like you."

"Because I don't need to concern myself with it. I'm not a leader. I prefer to command and weave the threads of chaos and fear, to put it poetically. To me, it doesn't matter  _who_ 's in charge. As long as they recognize who I am. And who really rules Berk." The Phantom chuckled. "So no, Chief, given your  _compliance_ , I don't see any reason to replace you. Not yet, at least."

"You're delusional," he hissed.

"No. I'm right."

There was a silence after that, neither of them speaking up again. Because he honestly didn't know what to say. Nor what to do. Occasionally, he could hear the Phantom's dragon breathe or move its tail, the creature letting him know he was still there. Barring him from getting to the Phantom himself.

The loft was too high for him to jump up to without the Phantom getting away first. He knew that all too well; when Hiccup was little, he used to tease his father by dangling things he was looking for over the edge of the loft, making him pounce towards it as the cheeky boy pulled it just out of his reach.

As Hiccup got older, he'd mainly used the edge of the loft to sit on as they talked; something that occurred less and less over time, until Hiccup could no longer talk to him ever again. He still remembered it vividly nevertheless. Hiccup's legs dangling over the edge, never remaining still as he babbled on about something. Unless they were arguing, Stoick himself would usually just be seated in his chair. Just like he was right now.

"That's my son's room you're sitting in," was what he ended up breaking the silence with, feeling utterly drained.

"The dead one?"

"Yes. Hiccup." The name had left him before he knew it.

"Well with a name like that I'd welcome death as well," the Phantom mocked. "I quite like what I could see of it though. I think it suits me."

"You're nothing like him," he bit.

The Phantom laughed. "Well, parents do tend to have a skewed view of their own children. The truth is often a lot harder to see. I think  _my_  family could fill you in on that as well."

"How dare you even suggest that!?" he lashed out. "Hiccup wasn't a monster, unlike you!"

"Neither was I."

For once, it was his turn to scoff. "I thought you didn't lie."

"What? You think I was born this way? Please, you can't actually be  _that_  thick-skulled," the Phantom bit. "Although I don't doubt you're pretty close."

"What are you trying to say," he huffed, his patience running thin.

"That we all come from something,  _Stoick_." The Phantom spat out his name, the final  _k_ sounding extra harsh. "Like I said, I once had a family too. A home. People around me, a supporting community of those who loved me. Or that's what it was supposed to be. But instead, all they did my entire life was spit on me. Because I wasn't like them."

"Given what you are, I'm not surprised they did," he shot back. He wasn't about to give the Phantom any sympathy.

"Yeah, you'd get along with them quite well," the Phantom snapped, poison coating his words. "I spent so many years of my life trying to be more like them. Hoping it'd finally gain me their approval. And their respect. But I never got it."

"If they were proper folk, they'd never respect someone like you," he hissed. "You and your dragon-defending lunacy."

"You're right," the Phantom agreed, his tongue as sharp as a dagger. "They never would. And it took me way too long to realize that people are simply too stubborn and close-minded to ever see anything differently. Even if they're just outright wrong."

"You're wrong," he countered.

"And that attitude is why I don't even bother to try to convince you otherwise. Because you'd never be willing to hear it," the Phantom instantly retorted. "But you know what? That's not even the worst thing about people. If it were just stubbornness, humanity would be redeemable. But it's their vileness, the way in which they let you believe one thing and then do the other. How they use and abuse the people they pretend to be close to, always looking to get ahead themselves."

Somehow, the Phantom managed to sound even more hateful as he continued, his voice dripping with spite. "And I realized too late what that meant for me. Why would I still care about people, in general? Whereas with dragons, there's none of those lies, the deception, the backstabbing? Why would I keep grovelling, keep trying to gain their respect and approval, like I had for so many years!? It didn't make any sense. I would never get that respect from them in the 'normal' way. Because I'm different. So I decided to claim it in a different way."

He had to try his best not to laugh. "No one would ever respect you."

"Oh, but Chief, you couldn't be more wrong about  _that_ ," the Phantom chuckled. "I certainly am respected. Just not in the way you're used to. Surely, you've noticed by now what a powerful tool fear is? You don't dare to act against me. And neither does the rest of Berk. Because you're afraid. All of you. Of  _me_."

The Phantom paused, his voice a sinister whisper as he continued. "So I can assure you, Stoick the Vast, that I do have your respect. And that I am way past asking for approval. Especially from people like you."

He heard movement above him, but only so slightly. "So please,  _Chief_ , allow me to thank you for your compliance once more. I hope you will continue to obey me in this way. Because I can assure you that you, and your people, will suffer the consequences if you don't."

"I'm not obeying you!" he bellowed. "I am protecting my people!"

"Sure you're not," the Phantom scoffed. "But who  _really_ rules Berk now?"

And with that question, the house returned to silence. Because Stoick wasn't going to answer that. And the Phantom didn't speak up again. Leaving him alone with his thoughts once more. Shrouded by and enveloped by the Phantom's darkness.

* * *

Stoick couldn't say he was really awake the next day. Or aware, for that matter. He'd noticed the concerned looks he'd gotten – mostly from Gobber, who had briefly commented on the enormous bags under his eyes, inquiring whether he'd had a rough night. But Stoick hadn't found the strength to tell his friend exactly  _how_ horrible his night had been.

He looked at the people gathered in the Great Hall, but he only hardly registered their faces. After his encounter with the Phantom, he'd struggled to go fall asleep. Even though he'd surveyed the whole house after the Phantom had been quiet for long enough, finding he'd left Hiccup's room untouched, he hadn't managed to put himself at ease again. Because somewhere, somehow, it felt like the Phantom was still  _there_. Looming, lurking. His ghost occupying the very interior of his own house. Where he didn't belong.

And when he'd finally been able to shake the troublesome feeling the Phantom's trespassing had left behind, Spitelout managed to snake his way back into his mind. Along with the implications of what he'd agreed to do. For which he'd called everyone to the Great Hall.

But there was no going back for him now. Backing out at this point would only ever make things worse. And if Spitelout was willing to let him stay in charge, that might be the best compromise available at this moment. Because he didn't want civil war, or any more unrest than need be. Because he knew what the Phantom had done to  _him_. And he didn't want to imagine what he could do to Snotlout. Or how the Jorgenson boy would react to the Phantom's advances.

Things could possibly only get worse. A wedding would be manageable. He hoped. He would make it so.

From the other side of the room, he caught Spitelout's gaze, Snotlout and the Thorston twins knowingly looking his way as well – although Tuffnut arguably less so. His adversary nodded at him, telling him to get things on with.

He sighed. Perhaps it was indeed time to sort of accept that things would never work out as he'd always hoped they would. His vision for the future had died along with Hiccup, all those years ago.

"Alright," he spoke up, finding his voice to be weaker than usual after the abysmal night he had. A few more additional calls eventually shushed the crowd, and he found the people of Berk looking at him once more. Fearfully. Still remembering the last time he'd spoken to them.

Forcing himself to put up a smile – after all, he didn't have to share his misery – he faced his people. "These past weeks have been rough. But given how the last two raids have gone, I guess we can conclude that the Phantom is also keeping his end of the deal. Of course that doesn't mean that we shouldn't remain cautious – after all, the Phantom can't be trusted. But it doesn't mean we can't celebrate anything anymore either."

Some of the Vikings looked at each other, their gazes wandering around the room. A few of them landed on Snotlout and Ruffnut; even though their wedding wasn't announced yet, their engagement was widely known. And eagerly gossiped about.

"So I'd like to officially announce that before the end of summer, we will celebrate the wedding of Snotlout Jorgenson and Ruffnut Thorston." The heads of those who hadn't been looking at them already instantly snapped to the couple.

He swallowed thickly. "And as is tradition, the rest of the Archipelago will be invited to celebrate it with us."

The Great Hall erupted right then, as the meaning of what he'd said hit the other Vikings. Across from him, Spitelout gave him a content nod as both men and women jumped up from their seats to congratulate the happy couple, filling the hall with laughter and cheer. Snotlout got up as well, patting himself on the chest as Ruffnut moved to take an exaggerated bow.

"Just wait until you've heard the theme of the party!" he heard Tuffnut shout, his enthusiastic yelp drowning out most of the other noise.

But Stoick didn't really register whatever the male twin said after that, nor the way in which Gobber eyed him with concern, all sound fading as he looked at his people crowding around the future rulers of Berk. Instead, all he heard was the question echoing inside his head. Accompanied by the Phantom's voice.

_Who really rules Berk now?_

He'd stashed the Phantom's notes far away, where not even Spitelout could find them. Just to be sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the first time ever, one complete Stoick POV chapter! Astrid's POV will return next chapter, which will be published on May 30.


	31. Entr'Acte - Race To The Edge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Really happy to be back and I just wanted to give you all a big thank you for your responses to the previous chapter! Having it be a full Stoick chapter was quite a new thing and I was super happy to see it being received as well as it was! It really brought a smile to my face! We're back to Hiccstrid in this one though ^^

If anyone dared to look up at the sky right now, they would probably be faced with the strangest sight they'd seen all their lives. The clear blue Archipelago's sky – a rare occurrence to begin with – contrasted by about fifty specks of varying colours and sizes. Flying in a tight, V-shaped formation. With Astrid, Stormfly, Hiccup and Toothless leading them. Snotlout, Fishlegs and Ruff & Tuff followed right behind, and even more dragons trailed after them. On their way to wherever Hiccup was taking them.

Luckily, they seemed to be flying over mostly uninhabited islands. She could spot the occasional Viking ship in the ocean below, which made her try to image what the sailors thought they saw when they looked up. Would they believe their eyes? Dragons were known to migrate, but the groups in which they did so were usually way smaller. They might struggle with the thought alone, wonder if what they saw was real at all, knowing no one back home would believe them.

It made her situation even more surreal, she supposed. Knowing that no one would ever believe that they were currently leading a dragon army across the Archipelago. Which wasn't exactly an easy task to begin with; it was a long flight to their destination and taking breaks with such a large pack of dragons was… troublesome. Especially getting them all back into the air could be a drag, always having to wait for the laziest of the pack to spread their wings once more.

But nevertheless, she cherished every second of it. Whenever she glanced behind her, catching a glimpse of the colourful array of dragons they were leading, she couldn't do anything but smile. Most of them didn't have names, but still, she felt this uncanny closeness to them.

How things could change. Only a year ago, she wouldn't have imagined befriending one dragon. Let alone a whole pack of them. But these dragons were part of her life, every day. Through the hierarchy they'd established, they listened to her. Using everything Hiccup had taught her through his words or his Book of Dragons, she helped them. And she didn't doubt they'd do the same for her. She trusted them that much. In a way, they were her family.

And the man leisurely flying next to her was who had brought it all together. She had been thrown into it all and had tried to make it her own to the extent that she could. But Hiccup had started it. His unbelievably strong connection the dragons was the foundation. The friendship between him and Toothless. How he had been able to see what no one had ever seen before. And how he was fighting for that vision every day.

With the start of summer, some more light had seemed to return to Hiccup himself as well. Not that he was ever in a particularly bad mood around her; sure, he could be crabby and in need of space, but so could she. Something had changed about his demeanour every time he returned from a trip to the Viking Islands however. He seemed lighter, less burdened. Less exhausted too. Like he was doing better overall. He'd shrugged when she'd asked, saying he wasn't so sure himself. But she was absolutely positive that there was a difference, and the way in which his eyes shone just a little brighter brought a smile to her face.

What Hiccup was definitely  _not_ getting better at however, was telling her where they were going. So she called out to him, the wind calm enough for her voice to be heard. "So are you ready to tell me where we're going yet?"

Hiccup smirked at her, pointing at something in the distance. "There, actually."

In front of them, about half an hour of flight away still, was a large island. It was mostly green, with lush forests. Its steep cliffs adorned the edges of the island's crescent shape, a large lagoon forming the island's main bay. It seemed to be sloping upward almost everywhere, its hills eventually ending in a few snowy peaks. In addition to that, the island was surrounded by a few smaller ones, which were all just as green. It looked peaceful. Serene. And, contrary to the last surprise destination Hiccup had taken her to, completely uninhabited.

"Any surprises down there?" she asked.

"Not for me. I'll tell you when we get down!"

She shook her head, not pushing it further because talking to Hiccup was usually a lot easier when they were both on the ground anyways. So she pushed away her curiosity, surveying the island with her eyes instead. It looked suspiciously nice; seemingly rich enough in resources – although she'd have to check out its food supply – and if one was to inhabit the larger bay, very defensible. Safe for whatever surprise Hiccup may still have, she liked it.

They touched down on one of the lower regions of the bay. Every single cliff around them was instantly filled with dragons, making the island light up with their colours. The sight alone made her smile as she got off Stormfly, her boots pressing down in the soft soil beneath them. These were their dragons. And she was fond of every single one of them.

Hiccup reached her while she was still taking in the view, pulling her into an embrace and cupping her cheek, which was still slightly red from the wind. She hummed as he pulled her into a kiss, their chapped lips meeting softly.

She pulled back before the kiss could deepen. "We're here for something, remember?"

Hiccup gave her a smirk. "I thought we'd agreed this trip was for us too?"

"We'll have all of tonight for us," she told him, ignoring his pout as she traced a line down his forehead with one of her fingers. Teasingly, she pressed the tip of his nose. "But I do quite like this place, whatever it may be."

"Well, Astrid, this…" Hiccup let go of her, using his arms to widely gesture at the space around them. "Is The Edge."

"The Edge?" She pulled up an eyebrow.

"Hey, look, naming islands all by yourself is hard, okay?" Hiccup smiled, waving his arms around.

"I came here that very first winter with Toothless. We wanted to go further to the northeast, but all you'll find there is a load of ice and absolutely terrible blizzards," he continued, gesturing in a direction which Astrid doubted was actually northeast at that moment. "So instead, we stayed here for a bit longer, exploring the island before we went back in the other direction. And since I never really went further, I called it 'the Edge'."

"That's not the worst explanation, I suppose.  _The Edge_." She tried the name out for herself, taking in the scenery once more. There was something peaceful about it all. If this was the Edge of the world, she could live with that.

"On this side, yes," he nodded.

"Do you ever think about going further after all?"

"That way? No, I don't think there's anything interesting there. And I've done the south too." He looked off into the distance, his eyes following the sun. "If I were to go exploring again, I'd go west."

She took his hand, drawing his attention back to her. The idea of Hiccup leaving for the horizon didn't sit that well with her. "Doesn't everyone say there's nothing there?"

"And that's exactly why I'd go that way," Hiccup smiled, softly rubbing his scarred thumb over the back of her hand. "Because as far as I know, what everyone says tends to be wrong."

"Can't argue with that," she conceded, looking at the dragons around them. Just how wrong they were.

"But exploring is just one of the options," Hiccup continued, turning towards her. "For now, there's something more important to focus on."

"Which is why we came here in the first place, right?"

"Exactly," Hiccup nodded, revealing the gap between his teeth. He took a step back from her, seemingly preparing himself to do  _something_. "I just hope this still works. It's been over five years since I trained them, after all."

"Them?" she wondered as Hiccup moved his fingers to his mouth, silencing her question by whistling loudly. The tones echoed through the bay, bouncing off the cliffs, amplified to the extent that it shut even their louder dragons up.

There was a brief silence, nothing but the sound of the Archipelago's summer wind blowing through the trees and the calm waves in the bay reaching her ears. Time passed and she looked at Hiccup, wanting to ask him what they were waiting for. But she found him looking at the sky above them, smiling, his eyes shining as if he saw something she didn't.

She heard something then. She spun around, facing the same direction as Hiccup. To find something gigantic shooting out of the forest. A few beats of its large wings were enough for the creature to loom over them, turning even blacker than it already was when it blocked out the sun.

She could feel her stomach drop, a sudden fear overwhelming her at the sight of a dragon  _that_  large. "Hiccup, that's not a them, that's –"

Instinctively, she moved towards Stormfly, but Hiccup's hand around her wrist stopped her. She let him pull her closer, his mouth grazing the shell of her ear. "Look closer."

Only slightly reassured by Hiccup's calm reaction, she looked at the beast once more. It was starting to come down towards them, spreading its gigantic wings as it soared through the sky. But there was something weird about it; it moved,  _its hide moved._ And when the creature came closer, she saw what Hiccup meant.

"It's not one dragon," she muttered, feeling Hiccup nod against the top of her head before he kissed it. He let her go after that, taking a step forward and spreading his arms towards the dragon – dragons.

It properly hit her now that the gigantic dragon was flying down towards them. They weren't dealing with one big, black dragon at all, but with the shape of one, made up of many small bat-like ones. She had seen these dragons in Hiccup's Book of Dragons. They were Night Terrors. She'd read that they could do this. But she'd never imagined that it'd look  _this_ amazing in practice.

"You're absolutely brilliant," she told Hiccup, his smile widening as she finally understood exactly why they'd gone here. Night Terrors could form the shape of a big dragon, but would break apart in the spots where they were attacked. Making them an absolutely perfect target to practice on.

When the Night Terrors came even closer, they dispersed, breaking their formation. Except for one of them; an odd white one, slightly larger than the others but still not that much bigger than a Terrible Terror. That one flew straight into Hiccup's arms, with such force that it knocked him over and on his back.

"Hey buddy!" Hiccup cooed, petting the white dragon, who was enthusiastically flapping its wings and bouncing up and down on Hiccup's chest. "It's good to see you!" He scratched the dragon behind its ears. "It's been a long time, huh?"

The sight of Hiccup play-fighting with the little dragon was admittedly absolutely adorable. It looked a lot like how he would brawl with Toothless – the main difference being that Hiccup could actually come out as the winner against this little dragon. And that Toothless was watching with a hint of what she suspected to be jealousy, so she made sure to give the Night Fury some attention herself, so he didn't feel left out.

Eventually, Hiccup seemed to have had enough, sitting up with the dragon in his lap. He gave her a lopsided smile and gestured at his friend. "Astrid, meet Alfred. The Night Terror Alpha."

For a moment, she considered making a comment about the dragon's name, but she figured this might actually be one of the better names Hiccup had come up with. So instead, she just knelt in front of her boyfriend and the little dragon, tentatively reaching out until it seemed to be fine with her touching its snout. "Nice to meet you, Alfred."

The Night Terror barked happily, nuzzling her hand with its nose horn before it enthusiastically licked her. Both disgusted and endeared, she wiped its saliva off on her leggings – she needed to wash them when they got back home anyways – and scratched the dragon in the way she'd just seen Hiccup do it to repay the favour.

Smiling brightly, Hiccup moved Alfred off his lap. She stretched her hand out to him, helping him up from the ground as he spoke, the look on his face telling her he was going into geek-mode. "Night Terrors are incredibly social dragons, which makes them very easy to train. They're incredibly weak on their own, but together, well, you've seen what they can do. Scares any predator off."

"It's smart," she nodded.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed. "I loved studying them. And training them for a bit. It also seems like they have a very good memory. I've visited them every year since I came back to the Archipelago, but not as often as I'd like to. Yet, they don't seem to forget."

She socked his arm. "So your 'I just hope this still works' from earlier was complete yak dung."

Hiccup gave her a cheeky smile, looking slightly pained as he rubbed the sore spot. "Nothing wrong with a bit of suspense."

"You're such a tease." She rolled her eyes. "But if you want to see them more often, why don't you just bring them back home?" Home. Phantom Island. Not Berk.

"They belong here," Hiccup shrugged. "This is their island. I could try to take them to Phantom Island, but if I miss just one of them, that dragon would be completely defenceless. And they don't really need me to take care of them anyways." He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "After all, even you were scared of them."

She wanted to punch him again, but Hiccup was quicker, anticipating her reaction and grabbing her wrists to pull her in. She caught him smiling slightly just before their lips met. Cheeky bastard.

Deciding not to let him get away with it, she returned the kiss, putting her arms around his neck and teasingly catching his lower lip between her teeth. Hiccup inhaled sharply and she could feel him shiver slightly, a low growl escaping his throat.

"I thought you said 'tonight'," Hiccup murmured, his voice already significantly hoarser.

"I did." She gave him one of his own smirks, putting her hands on his chest as she pushed him away. "So let's get started?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes at her but didn't push it any further, turning his attention back to Alfred and his pack – most of which stayed close to their leader, warily eying all the other visitors to the island. Eventually, Hiccup seemed to have gotten across what he wanted them to do, and she accompanied him on a test run.

It took them a while to get the Night Terrors relaxed enough to stay in the air and let themselves be attacked. But eventually, after a lot of back and forth between Hiccup and Alfred – if she didn't know that he couldn't, she'd almost think he was talking to the dragon – they were finally on the same page. And ready to get the other dragons in the air.

The first drills they did were mainly squadron by squadron; getting the dragons that followed Toothless and Stormfly into the field first, and expanding it by getting one of the lieutenants and their pack to join the assault. They mainly focused on repeating the drills they usually did on Phantom Island; the fact that they were now practicing with an unfamiliar, moving target already created enough novelty. Along with how attacking something that had the mere shape of an enormous dragon already seemed to make some of the dragons more apprehensive, or outright scared.

It made the Night Terrors a phenomenal target to practice on, especially after the little dragons had come to see that they weren't actually trying to hurt them. But still, she wondered how things would go down when they and their army would face their actual enemy, who, according to Hiccup, was supposedly even bigger than the shapes a flock of Night Terrors could make. Hiccup himself did not seem to have an inch of worry at all, insisting that if they, their leaders, set the example and showed them there was nothing to be afraid of, that the dragons would act on that. They would trust them. And, although it took hours for some, he was right.

It was hard for her to imagine any dragon  _not_ trusting Hiccup at this point. Sure, she had the dragons' respect; she practiced with them almost every day, she was recognized, and Stormfly's trust and companionship gave them the example that she was quite alright. And when it came to leading them, she did fine. Great, actually. But Hiccup was as close to being one of them as she figured a human possibly could be.

He had a certain gravitas about him, especially when he and Toothless flew together; they were almost one and the same in that moment. It made her smile to see him give orders, coordinating their dragons almost instinctively. Taking leadership like that seemed to come natural to him, and the dragons felt it. She felt it. And it left her wondering if Hiccup really would've made such a bad Chief of Berk, had he stayed around.

She didn't know what it was that made him so. It wasn't necessarily because he was better at it; yes, he was a better dragon rider than she would ever be, she had no problems admitting that, but all the hours he had spent honing that skill, along with his talent, didn't seem to be the only factor. There was something about him. About the way he seemed to gain and keep the dragons' trust. As if it didn't cost him any effort.

But she got that. There was a certain pull to him. To his confident posture, to his bond with Toothless, to how he stayed calm and collected even when a certain drill wasn't going well. And to the way he truly, deeply cared. She felt it too. Had felt it ever since she'd gotten to know him.  _Really_ gotten to know him.

Hiccup Haddock was no ordinary Viking. Or perhaps not even a Viking at all. He was something else.

And she was quite sure that she was absolutely, completely in love with him because of that.

* * *

When their dragons were properly exhausted, and the short summer night was about to fall, Astrid and Hiccup finally allowed themselves and their dragons some rest too. Their drills had gone well, although they both agreed that they should probably return to the Edge at least once more to work on some of the difficulties they'd encountered. Permanently relocating to the Edge wasn't an option; it was too far away from Berk for Hiccup to make the trip on a regular basis, and they didn't want to disrupt the Night Terrors' lives like that.

But all in all, they were confident that when it came to training their army, they wouldn't need more than another few months, tops. Which meant that they could attack the Red Death before winter. It made Astrid both anxious and excited; she knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but the thought of the war with the dragons finally ending made it all worth it.

With the dragons needing to rest before they made the journey back to Phantom Island the following day, the night indeed belonged to the two of them. She had held herself to her earlier words and had tackled Hiccup as soon as they had set up their camp, properly testing if their makeshift bed was comfortable enough – and it definitely was. They'd taken a bath in the bay afterwards, the water unfortunately still too cold for them to go for a proper swim. But it made cuddling to heat back up afterwards even better, so she had no complaints.

She was lying on her back, still naked underneath the stars, with Hiccup's body curled around her. He was facing her with his good side, allowing her to count all his freckles, his head on her shoulder and his legs intertwined with hers. His eyes were closed, but he seemed to be keeping himself occupied by tracing one of his fingers over her bare skin, making her pleasantly shiver and hum every so often.

"Found what you're looking for yet?" she teasingly asked him.

"You map out every line on my body whenever you can, I figured today was my turn."

She laughed softly. She did have a tendency to do that. There was a certain intimacy about knowing Hiccup's every scar, every line, every curve. "And, anything you like?"

"Liking would be an understatement," he teased, pressing a kiss to the top of her breast. "Every part of you is beautiful. But I never really realised how many scars you actually have too."

"Yeah, years of training and battling dragons will do that…" she muttered. "But babe, not be rude, if we were to hold a scar competition, I'm quite sure you'll win."

"Thank the Gods." Hiccup propped himself up on his elbow, properly looking at her while he continued to draw circles on her stomach with his other hand. "That you didn't get hurt that badly, I mean. In fact, Toothless probably beats you too."

She frowned, looking over at the Night Fury, who was peacefully snoring next to Stormfly, not too far away from them. He'd had a long day. "The grey lines on his skin, they're…?"

"Yeah," Hiccup nodded, his forehead creasing as he followed her gaze. "Although dragons seem to shake off their wounds more easily than we do. And they scar quicker. I don't even know how he got a few of his smaller ones."

"Still, you better spoil him." She softly traced the lines of Hiccup's biceps, which was visibly flexing slightly, even beneath his scars.

Hiccup turned back to her, his green eyes diving into hers as he cupped her cheek. "Of course. I like to spoil the people I love, just because I can."

Their lips met in a soft kiss, Hiccup's free hand moving to stroke the curve of her hip as their tongues found each other. Both of them were too tired to move beyond that, but she relished in it nevertheless. In moments like these, she really did feel spoilt.

Their noses rubbed together after their kiss broke, the two of them softly nuzzling each other's skin. It warmed her throughout, the tenderness of Hiccup's touches making her heart contract pleasantly. For all the times their love-making was nearly feral, there were infinitely more moments like this. And she wouldn't trade them, nor Hiccup, for anything in the world.

Hiccup still holding her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, she found herself looking at the night sky. It wasn't as dark as usual this time of year, but she could still make out some of the stars and constellations, those she knew from Berk and the ones Hiccup had pointed out to her, being used by civilizations other than her own. There were stories behind most of them, ancient heroes and myths, and Hiccup had told her most of those too.

"Tell me another story," she softly spoke, Hiccup's eyes almost instantly lighting up. Even after all these months, he still hadn't run out them. And she loved to listen to him.

"Sure," he smiled, sitting up and scooting over to lean against the rock wall they'd set up their camp in front of. She grabbed their blanket, pulling it over them as she sat down next to him, his arm around her shoulders.

"Anything specific on your mind?" Hiccup asked.

"Not really…." She pondered for a minute, leaning further into Hiccup. "You told me that Greek story the other time, right? About the war? With the fake horse and stuff? You said there was more after that."

"You mean about Troy?"

"Yes. That's the one!"

Hiccup pulled her closer, softly caressing the skin of her lower back. "I think I ended that with the city getting sacked, right?"

"Yeah, because the Trojans were stupid enough to pull the horse into the city."

"Hey, that was actually a clever plan, if you ask me. They made it seem like it was an offering to Athena and that the Greek forces had simply left."

"Still, the Trojans were stupid enough to believe it," she scoffed.

"A little taunting can go a long way," Hiccup pointed out. "In the end, the truth often doesn't matter. It's the delivery that does. And apparently it was convincing enough."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine. I just think, had they been Vikings, they would've torched it down and the soldiers inside would've died."

"I'm not so sure," Hiccup pondered, clacking his tongue. "It was an offer to their gods after all. And besides, my guess would be that even Vikings can be made to believe things, if you present it in the right way."

"Well, I guess we'll never know, because they weren't there," she laughed. "But then what happened after the Greeks sacked Troy? I'd assume they divided the spoils and everyone just went home, right?"

"That's what they wanted to do, yes. After all, they'd been away from home for ten years already at this point. Not that it was a pleasant homecoming for all of them. Agamemnon for instance was killed, but that's a whole different story. The one who had the toughest time getting home at all was Odysseus."

"Who was he again?"

"The King of the island Ithaca. Renowned for his intellect and cunning. The stories say he was also the one who came up with the plan for the horse."

"I guess that means you like him," she teased, poking Hiccup's chest. "Seems like your type."

Hiccup scoffed. "It does seem like he was the least hot-headed one and it certainly didn't hurt to have someone like that around. But the Greek gods weren't exactly on his side, or well, not all of them were. And so it took him another ten years to get back home to Ithaca, the journey home being an adventure I could probably fill at least a week with if I were to tell you everything that happened to him."

"And all the while, the people of Ithaca just waited for their king to return?" she wondered.

"Sort of. He had a wife, Penelope, and a son, Telemachus, back on Ithaca. After a while, many people believed Odysseus would not return – and who could blame them, really – and a huge amount of suitors tried to convince Penelope to remarry. But she refused, coming up with tricks to hold them off. I suppose she kept believing that even after all those years, her husband would come back, and staying faithful was important to her."

"Or she just loved him," she added. She could imagine that.

"I suppose so, yeah."

"I'm pretty sure."

"How come?"

She looked away before she answered. "Because I love you."

The phrase left her a lot more abruptly and not as confidently she had intended it to, her voice slightly unstable. But she had said it, relief washing over her. Finally she'd returned the words Hiccup had said to her so often.

Hiccup stayed silent however, not giving her any reply. Perhaps he'd not properly understood and she had to elaborate? His first declaration of love had been so sweet, after all…

"I mean, if you…" she started, sitting up instead of meeting Hiccup's gaze. "… were in the same situation, I don't know, maybe I'd also…." Since when was she the one who stuttered and stammered? "Prefer to wait, even if I knew you were likely dead." The suggestion alone felt like a dagger through her heart. "Because I can't imagine being with anyone but you."

"I mean, it's all a 'what-if', of course." She continued to ramble, still not looking back at Hiccup. How was he so good at things like this? Or rather, how come she was so ridiculously bad at it? Getting shy was not something she did, it wasn't her, but then again, Hiccup had brought out many things she'd long believed weren't her. Gods damn him. "That would never happen to us, but I just figured that in the case it did, what would I do, I mean –"

"You said it."

Her head snapped back to look at him, butterflies still swarming her stomach. He was wearing the goofiest grin she'd ever seen, the emerald of his eyes completely mellowed as he gazed down at her. She wished she could capture this moment, because he looked absolutely perfect, one of his still-damp auburn locks falling just in front of one of his eyes.

Instead, she punched his shoulder, her face turning red. "Couldn't you have said something earlier?"

"Why?" he laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I thought it was kind of cute."

"You're terrible," she pouted.

"And yet you love me," Hiccup countered, wearing the biggest grin she'd ever seen on him and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Melting almost instantly, she put her hand on his chest, his warm skin making her heart swell. "I really do. I love you."

Hiccup closed his eyes, his breath leaving him as his scarred palm cupped her cheek. "I love you too."

Their lips met in a soft kiss. A new kind of kiss, slow and tender, but in a way they'd never quite kissed before. There was no insecurity behind it, no doubt. It was a confirmation of what she'd known for a long time, but had always been afraid to say. And what Hiccup now finally knew too.

"I love you," she told him again when they parted. She shivered when his hot breath touched her face, their lips only an inch apart. She closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against his. "I truly, deeply love you." It felt like such a relief to finally say it. "I'm pretty sure I have for a while. But I don't know why it took me so long to tell you."

She kissed him once more, trying to show him how she felt through more than words. Deepening their kiss, she climbed on top of him, straddling his hips and finding him already growing hard beneath her. Hiccup embraced her in return, but there was a sense of apprehension in his touch, his movements not quite as confident as they usually were.

Confused, she leant back, finding him frowning at her, his hands resting on the curve of her hip.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's because of Berk, isn't it?" Hiccup murmured, his frown deepening.

"I suppose that's part of it, yeah," she admitted, placing her hands against his chest. "I mean, I will always love Berk. They're my people."

She could see Hiccup was trying to hold back his own opinion on the island they were both born on, giving her a soft "hmhm" instead.

"And for a long time, I thought that I couldn't love you both. Because you're each other's enemies, still. But clearly, it is possible, because I  _do_ love you." She smiled softly, finding the corners of Hiccup's mouth curl up only so slightly as well. "More than I thought I ever could. I love you so much."

Hiccup moved in to kiss her again, but she bit her lower lip, figuring that if they were ever going to address this, they might as well do so now. Get it all out in one go. "But maybe part of it is also that, sometimes, I feel I don't know all of you. That there are still things you're hiding."

Hiccup stiffened, his single eyebrow creasing. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't see you at all for five years, Hiccup," she tried to explain. "That's a really long time. And although you've told me many stories already, it still feels… incomplete, I suppose."

Hiccup seemed to relax slightly, his expression turning into one of slight confusion. "Why? I've told you about almost all of the places I've been to, the dragons I've seen…"

"And that's just it," she added. "I know the places, but I don't know about you. How you felt, what you did, how you were doing in general. You never talk about your involvement in all of it. Like you're keeping it from me."

"They're not exactly happy stories," Hiccup frowned. "I was dealing with a lot back then, trying to come to terms with my scars, and everything that happened. I wasn't exactly in a good place."

"You weren't in a good place when we met in the arena either," she pointed out. She took his hand, intertwining his scarred fingers with hers. "But that's how I know you're doing better now. And that's incredibly important to me."

"I'd like to hope I'm doing better," Hiccup mumbled, squeezing her hand. An apology. "It's only been a year since I broke your shoulder. Which I'm still sorry for."

"It's already been a year," she murmured, the realization taking her by surprise. Indeed, it'd been at the beginning of last year's summer that she'd started to guard the arena.

"But you haven't broken any of my bones since," she quipped. "So I'd say that's definitely an improvement."

"Look, Hiccup, you and I, we've been through  _a lot_  together," she continued when he didn't laugh. "Both good and bad things. And I know you're sorry for the bad ones."

Hiccup gave her a wry smile, carefully touching her skin but not saying anything in response.

"But I wouldn't have wanted to miss any of it," she added. "Because it's how I got to know you. And came to love you. All of you." She softly caressed his cheek, her fingers brushing over the lines of his scars. "And that includes where you came from. So please don't feel like you can't share the times you struggled with me. Because you absolutely can."

"I know," Hiccup nodded. "It's not that I don't want to, but talking about dragons, buildings, cities and ancient myths is just… easier, I suppose."

"I get that." She moved forward, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him. Hiccup wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer and returning the embrace, their naked bodies pressed flush against each other. "And, I mean, I don't need to know everything, but if you ever feel like talking about it, please do?"

Hiccup nodded against her shoulder. "I will." He pressed a kiss against her neck. "Remind me what I did to deserve you again?"

She leant back, taking in his beautiful smile and gorgeous eyes. "You just being you did the trick, I think."

Hiccup moved forward, his breath tickling her lips as he softly nuzzled her cheek. "I love you. So much."

"I love you too."

They caught each other in yet another kiss, both of them trying to minimize whatever distance still existed between them. As a teen she'd thought she'd at one point get tired of kissing the same boy over and over again, but nothing could be less true. The way in which Hiccup kissed her, touched her, caressed her was something she could never get enough of. It was addictive, intoxicating; he made her feel everything she thought she could ever feel and somehow still more. It was amazing.

They slept less than they probably should have that night, the two of them expressing their devotion for each other under the Archipelago's starry night sky again and again, through both actions and words, her affection for him only growing. She was spurred on by every low growl, every hungry kiss, every tender touch and every time her name rolled off his tongue like she was the only thing he'd ever wanted. And she found herself falling ever further for him.

She loved him. And he loved her.

In a world that could throw something new at her every day, those two things were what she was absolutely, completely sure of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you guys again in two weeks! June 13 :)


	32. Entr'Acte - For the Dancing and the Dreaming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, Phantom's back! I haven't got much to say about this chapter, so I'll just leave you to it!
> 
> ~This chapter contains NSFW content~

Three words could change everything or nothing at all.  _I love you_ was certainly the kind of phrase that could do both of those things at the same time. Their lives had gone on as usual; Astrid was still drilling their army relentlessly – and getting closer to their goal every day – and Hiccup continued to prevent the Archipelago from harming dragons any further. They didn't need much longer. She could feel it. Before winter, they would attack the Red Death. And start ridding the Archipelago of their true enemy, allowing the war to finally, truly end.

It was a happy prospect. She'd been working towards it for months, but the thought that they were actually getting there left her in high spirits. Along with her confession to Hiccup several weeks ago, of course. She felt it shouldn't be as much of an earth-shattering thing as it turned out to be; and in a lot of ways, it wasn't. Their relationship hadn't changed substantially. But it was about the details.

About the weight that'd been lifted off her shoulders since she'd finally said it, admitting to herself and to him that she'd been falling in love with him for a long time. How Hiccup seemed to hold and cuddle her just a bit firmer, still treating her as delicately and respectfully as always, but with less fear that she might break if he held on too tightly. His mood had only improved even more because of it, his smile often as bright as the Archipelago's summer sun. He had yet to share the stories she'd asked him for that very same night, but she had no doubt that those would come once the dust settled and their lives became a little less hectic. She couldn't wait for that day to come. And then there were those moments with just the two of them, her whispering  _I love you_ over and over again sending their intimacy to yet another, higher level, making her feel like they were soaring amongst the stars themselves. Continuously challenging each other to go even higher.

But, today was one of those on which Hiccup was absent, and after yet another day of hoarding a pack of dragons through several exercises, Astrid had retreated into the Phantom's Nest for the evening. Her freshly-washed golden locks hung over her shoulders, her favourite of Hiccup's old tunics keeping her just comfortably warm enough while she leant forward over Hiccup's desk, his Book of Dragons opened in front of her.

Holding herself up on her left elbow, occasionally tucking some rebellious strands of hair behind her ear – braids were more practical, but she preferred to let her hair dry to the air first – she moved her charcoal pencil over the paper as neatly as she could. Her hand-writing didn't quite match Hiccup's, but she was quite sure he'd appreciate her additions. The Hideous Zipplebacks had been acting even stranger than usual over the past couple of days and after taking some time this morning to figure out  _why_ , she had some very interesting things to add to the section on mating behaviour. She no longer thought the dragon species was appalling in appearance, but after what she'd seen today, she certainly felt the adjective 'hideous' was still quite appropriate. And she was glad it was up to Hiccup rather than her to figure out where  _that_ fit into the grand scheme of things. If it even did at all.

"Boo."

She jumped up like a startled Nadder, instantly escaping Hiccup's soft hands on her hips. Her pencil clattered down onto Hiccup's desk as she turned around, finding her lover standing behind her with an enormous grin on his face.

She groaned, looking at Toothless, who was giving her a gummy smile from his end of the room, an apology for being complicit.

"Don't sneak up on me!" she hissed, balling her fist and lunging it at her boyfriend, who agilely held her off.

"I'm sorry, force of habit," Hiccup chuckled, holding his hands up in innocence but being forced to move to parry another one of her incoming blows.

"I know you're stealthy!" she fumed. "You don't need to prove that!"

"Well, given that this isn't the first time I caught you –" Hiccup stepped back, dodging yet again. "I thought you could use the reminder."

"I never really know when you'll be home, now do I!? Can't watch my back all the time."

Hiccup caught her wrists, stopping her dead in her tracks, something slightly more serious crossing his expression. "Perhaps you should."

"I'm not you," she pointed out.

Hiccup shook his head, smiling to himself. "You're right." His hands slid down, grabbing hers and pulling her closer. "And that's just one of the many reasons I love you."

She melted at the sight of his smile, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaving his to encircle her waist. "I love you too."

He kissed her softly, making her hum against his lips before he opened them for her, their tongues finding each other. There was almost nothing she enjoyed more than kissing Hiccup again after he'd been gone for a while. She considered herself used to his absences by now, but that didn't mean she never missed him. Or worried about him – although she knew he could handle himself just fine.

Eventually, they separated, Hiccup smiling sweetly at her and moving his hand through her loose strands of hair, tucking a few of them back behind her ear where they belonged. "So how have you been?"

"Good, actually," she told him, leaning back against his desk. "I really think we're almost there. So if you have any specific suggestions for drills, let me know. Especially Stormfly and the Nadders are doing  _great_."

"Didn't expect less from Nadder girl," Hiccup quipped.

"What?" She pulled up an eyebrow.

"You call me 'dragon boy' sometimes!" Hiccup pointed out. She gave him an unamused stare, prompting him to open his mouth again. "What about 'Stormfly's Angel?'"

"What in Thor's name is an Angel!?"

"Okay, never mind that, I got something better:  _The Mother of Nadders._ "

She rolled her eyes. "Please stop trying to give things names, babe. It's not your talent."

Hiccup put his hand on his chest, backing away slightly. "I can't believe you'd say that! I feel so wounded."

She crossed her arms. "You'll get over it."

"I guess that's a 'no' to an acting career too, then," he quipped. "But you might have a point. I'm lucky you started calling me 'Phantom', preventing me from coming up with a worse creation myself."

"You told me to call you that," she reminded him. "I didn't come up with it."

"Who did, actually?"

She thought for a moment. "I'm not so sure. Tuffnut, probably? It sounds like him."

Hiccup laughed. "I'm not surprised."

"I prefer Hiccup anyways." She poked his chest. "Because that's  _you_."

"Which is why you're the only one who gets to call me that," Hiccup smiled. "And the Wingmaidens, I suppose, but they don't really count."

"Not that anyone but me has ever called you Phantom in an actual conversation either," she laughed. "But I'm very glad we've been past that for months." Aside from some really heated moments, the thought of which was enough to make her cheeks burn.

"Me too," Hiccup mumbled, his voice low. Bringing up the past often did that to him, but she didn't want to avoid it. It was part of their history, after all.

Before she could brighten the mood, Hiccup stepped forward, looking over her shoulder. "What were you writing down just now?"

"I noticed something about the Zipplebacks in the past few days," she told him, turning around and shoving the Book in his direction, her finger pointing at the new passage. "Figured you might find it interesting."

"Let me see.  _Mating Rituals_." Hiccup surveyed the page as she watched, his eyes growing bigger with every line. "Dear Odin – what? – I mean?  _How? Why?_ I just –"

He looked at her and she bit her lower lip in apology. "Yeah."

" _Ew_ ," was the last thing Hiccup had to say about it before he closed the book. He pinched the bridge of his nose, staying silent for a minute before he finally shook his head, wincing. "No, I'm not even going to think about that right now. Or ever."

"Hey, at least you didn't have to  _see_  it," she pointed out.

Hiccup froze for a moment before he shivered violently. "Yeah, I'm just going to ignore that, if you don't mind. But you have my most sincere apologies."

"Don't blame you," she laughed.

"But, speaking of things that are thoroughly disturbing," Hiccup continued, fiddling around with his armour and pulling a folded piece of paper out of a compartment she didn't know existed. No matter how many times she'd torn it off his body, she still had no idea how his flight suit exactly worked. And suspected she never would. "I brought something from Outcast Island."

She took the paper from his outstretched hand, unfolding it and straightening it on the desk. Hiccup leisurely leant against the piece of furniture, crossing his arms and nodding at her to read it, a naughty smile spreading across his face. She diverted her eyes from how handsome that made him look, his cute butt positioned just right against the desk, and forced herself to focus on the paper in front of her.

" _Archipelago-sized Announcement!_ " she read, seemingly looking at a poster of some sorts. " _You are all cordially invited to the island of Berk, on the second-to-last Friday of Summer, to celebrate the wedding of –"_

She looked up at Hiccup, her eyes widening. "Snotlout Jorgenson and Ruffnut Thorston."

"Yep," Hiccup nodded, showing her a crooked grin. "And the whole Archipelago's invited."

"It's a chief's wedding," she realized, gaping at the man in front of her. Had everything gone differently, he should have had that. Not Snotlout.

"Well, a future chief's," Hiccup corrected her, seemingly not bothered by that detail at all. "As far as I know, my dad is still in charge."

"Still," she retorted, looking at the poster in her hands in disbelief. "This is huge! Snotlout and Ruffnut… getting  _married._ Who would've thought…" Her head snapped back up at Hiccup. "Is she pregnant?"

"You know what? I totally forgot to ask her that last time I spoke to her. Over five years ago," Hiccup sarcastically remarked.

She socked his shoulder, shaking her head as he rubbed the sore spot. "You know what I mean, dork."

"If she is, it's not visible yet," Hiccup informed her, his single eyebrow creasing. "Makes you wonder what kind of kids those two will have."

"Seems like Berk will find out sooner or later." If they hadn't slept together yet, they were  _definitely_ doing so after the wedding.

"May the Gods have mercy on them."

"Berk could probably use some of the Gods' blessings right now anyways," she mumbled, looking back to the poster. "I've been to weddings often enough, but never one as big as this. They must be swamped with the preparations, especially between the dragon raids; getting everything ready for the ceremony, and the feasts, and –" And she wasn't there. Knowing herself, she'd probably been involved in all of it otherwise, setting up temporary huts for the guests, hunting, maybe even sailing out to help the fishermen. Or to go as far as to do some trading herself.

She knew two people who wouldn't run from that responsibility, however. "Maybe that's why my parents sailed out again?" Hiccup had noticed them leaving Berk not too long ago, and they'd been tracking them ever since. Their first stop so far had been the Northern Markets, so now she hoped they were there for the wedding preparations, and not for her, the latter thought making her feel sick with guilt once again. But she couldn't possibly tell them what was going on now, after such a long time… How could she possibly explain that she hadn't done so earlier?

"I'm sorry." Hiccup gently touched her hand, rubbing the back of it. "I checked on them on the way back. They're fine, still."

She hugged him, the poster crumpling in her hand. "Thank you." Taking such a long way back had to take quite a toll on both Hiccup and Toothless.

"Don't thank me," Hiccup muttered. "It's the least I can do."

She looked at him, wondering why he didn't return her embrace. Hiccup smiled at her, his scars scrunching, and separated them, gesturing at the poster in her hand. "You haven't finished reading it yet. There's some more good stuff."

Shrugging off Hiccup's slightly odd behaviour, she spread out the paper once again, surveying the other contents of the announcement. " _The bride and groom ask only one thing of their guests: to respect the Theme._ " Of course. A theme. Wouldn't be one of the twins' parties if it didn't have one. Tuffnut's reindeer outfit last Snoggletog was a testament to just how much they loved costumes. The twins had even managed to convince  _her_  to dress up as a sheep to one of their cattle-themed parties, leaving her to find wool  _everywhere_  for the next month. " _Instead of awkwardly pretending we all know each other, why not take a dive into the unknown? Mystery! Intrigue! Capes! Disguises! Darkness! And of course… masks! A wedding to remember!"_

Gaping, she looked up at Hiccup, who had already pulled up his single eyebrow and was watching her reaction with an amused smirk. She pointed at the poster. "This is real?"

"Yes."

"You didn't make this yourself to fool me?"

"Nope."

She narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you."

Hiccup's smile widened. "It's true."

"It's absolutely ridiculous."

"It's the twins."

She looked at the piece of paper for a few moments more. "You might be right," she concluded, shaking her head as a smile spread across her face. "Only the twins could come up with this. Dragging their guests along in their craziness, organising something so outrageous and extravagant that the Archipelago will talk about it for years to come. And only Snotlout would be crazy enough to agree."

"It's the most un-chiefly wedding I've ever heard of," Hiccup chuckled. "The tone of the announcement alone is incredibly inappropriate."

"I know!" she laughed. "Who let this happen!?"

"Not my dad, that's for sure. I still remember him telling me –" Hiccup puffed out his chest, putting on an accent that was even closer to Stoick than his usual Phantom one. " _Son, as future chief, it is your duty to represent and honour our rules and traditions, in everything you do_." He laughed to himself. "Seems like he failed to enforce that lesson with both me and Snotlout."

"I really don't see how they got this past him," she giggled. "I mean, I really shouldn't be surprised. The twins have always been dramatic, with an obsession for the obscure. And the Phantom's appearance only made it worse. They would come up with a new ghost story nearly every night."

"Well I do fit the dress code perfectly, I'd say," Hiccup joked, awkwardly gesturing at himself. "I'd almost consider this a personal invitation."

"Not like anyone there would know that you're the actual Phantom," she pointed out.

"Unless I were to dramatically blow something up, no, they wouldn't have a clue," Hiccup smirked. "But I have nothing against the twins and Snotlout personally. And I don't think ruining their wedding would help the dragons."

She rolled her eyes. "And it would be incredibly tasteless and completely unnecessary."

"Hey, if they asked, I'd gladly spice up their party. It'd be great entertainment!  _The Phantom of the Arena_ :  _making your party truly explosive!_ " Hiccup dramatically announced, painting the slogan in the air.

She buried her face in her hands, laughing. "Yes, I really think they need that, on top of the fact that they're asking people to dress up."

"I can appreciate their efforts to brighten up a wedding though. They can be quite dull."

"Yeah, the ceremony can be a dread," she agreed. "Although I've hardly ever seen a bride and groom who didn't look totally over the moon. I mean, I haven't seen Ruff and Snot in ages, but –" She shrugged. "I really hope they'll have that too." And she wouldn't be there to see it. Even though Ruffnut had arguably been one of her better friends on Berk, and she'd grown up with Snotlout, she would miss one of the most important days in their lives. Trying to shrug that off, she added: "The feast is usually quite alright though."

Hiccup gave her a reassuring smile, pointing at the poster. "Judging by the announcement, I'm sure they'll make it their own."

"You could always go and check it out if you happen to be on Berk, I suppose," she suggested. "See how it is. No one will recognize you anyways. You'd just be another one of the unknown guests, who seems to be taking the theme  _way_  too seriously."

Hiccup scoffed. "I can think of many more useful ways to spend my nights. I can take a look if that makes you happy, but I don't see much of a reason to go and party with people who have either hated me all my life or have come to hate me in the past two years."

"Hiccup, not everyone on Berk hated you…" she tried, although she knew that she couldn't convince him. But she had to keep trying.

"Even if they didn't, they certainly do now," Hiccup sighed, his clips curling into a smile shortly after. "And I don't think they'd appreciate it if I brought Toothless as my partner."

She chuckled at the thought, wondering just how silent the Great Hall would get if Hiccup walked in with a Night Fury at his side. She eyed the dragon, who was taking a nap on the edge of the Nest, his tail dangling over the side of it. "He would probably be a great dancer though. And he fits the dark theme."

"Oh yeah, he'd steal the show for sure," Hiccup laughed. "The Archipelago doesn't know what it's missing."

"It's a real shame," she giggled, her eyes wandering down to the poster.  _Why not take a dive into the unknown?_ Kind of exactly like she'd done with Hiccup. Which had worked out better than she'd ever thought it would. Except for, perhaps, how she had to miss things like this.

That's when it hit her. "Then bring me instead."

"I'm sorry, what?" Hiccup gave her a confused look, like he hadn't properly heard her.

"Let's go to the wedding," she clarified, putting the poster down on the table and pointing at it. "Together."

Hiccup's sole eyebrow drew up, his expression utterly puzzled. "I'm going to go with 'I'm sorry, what?' again."

She sighed, spelling it out for him: "Go. To. The. Wedding. With. Me."

"Are you serious?" He gestured at her. "I know it'll be incredibly busy, but people will surely notice you."

"Not if I follow the theme," she pointed out, patting the letters on paper. "Different clothes, a mask, pulling my hood up so no one can see my hair. And they're not exactly expecting me either."

"Okay, but even if they struggle to recognize you…" Hiccup continued, his eyebrow furrowed. " _Why?_ Why do you want to take that risk? Unless you're fine with them finding out of course."

"No, I don't want them to know what's going on yet, it's too soon to explain everything, but I just…" She sighed, leaning against the desk. "It could be nice, you know? I've been away from Berk for almost half a year and I am rarely homesick, but…"

"You still miss them," Hiccup completed, giving her a wry smile.

"Yeah," she agreed. "I still care, you know I do." Hiccup nodded, waiting for her to continue. "And now, missing the wedding of two of the people I grew up with… It just feels, wrong, I guess? Even if I can't talk to them and I can't let them know who I am, I would really like to see everyone again. Who knows, maybe even my parents will be there."

"If you want to see them, you can just join me when I wait around for a raid to happen," Hiccup suggested. "I watch Berk all the time for lack of something better to do."

"But it's not really the same though, is it?" She bit her lower lip, fiddling around with her hands. "I know you're good but I'm assuming even you don't get too close."

Hiccup pursed his lips. "Not if I can't blend in with anything, no."

"Exactly. So going to the wedding would be very different," she concluded.

Hiccup let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Gods, Astrid, I don't know… I'm not quite seeing it. What if you get into trouble?"

"I won't. Especially if you're there." She took his hands, softly rubbing her thumbs over the back of them. "It might be good for you too, you know? Being among the people instead of fighting against them. Seeing them from a different angle for once."

"I think the first fifteen years of my life gave me a good enough 'angle'," Hiccup remarked, his voice bitter.

"Still, it's been five years. You might be surprised," she tried. "And they're only your enemy for now, right? After the queen's dead, everything could be different."

"That's the dream, now isn't it?" Hiccup mumbled. "But I don't see much reason to cuddle up with Berk and the other islands until then."

She pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and putting her own around his neck. "You don't seem to mind cuddling up with me."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, securing her in his hold. "You're different."

"I'm not so sure I am," she countered. "I didn't exactly start believing you very quickly."

"No, but you were willing to listen. That's the difference. Most Vikings are as stubborn as a sleeping Hotburple."

"I can be pretty stubborn too."

"Oh, definitely," Hiccup laughed, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. "But you're the right kind of stubborn."

She pulled up an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"My kind of stubborn," Hiccup smiled, leaning in and brushing his lips against hers. "I love you."

"I love you too, but –" She poked his cheek. " _You_ are trying to change the subject."

Hiccup gave her an innocent smile. "I am?"

"I'm not  _that_ easily distracted," she teased. "Come on, Hiccup, it could be fun. Going to a wedding together is a thing for couples after all, isn't it? It would be the most normal thing we've ever done."

"You seemed to be pretty satisfied with doing things differently so far," Hiccup sceptically noted.

"And I'm not saying I have any complaints, because I absolutely don't. But that doesn't mean 'normal' can't be fun too. The food should be terrific – and a lot more varied than fish all day every day – and so should the drinks." She slightly rocked the two of them from side to side. "There'll be music, we could dance…"

"I don't think I still know how to dance." Hiccup's hands slid down to her ass, pulling her closer. "Although I'm quite sure it didn't go like this."

"Didn't your dad teach you nearly every dance when you were little?"

Hiccup scoffed. "Of course he did. Didn't prevent me from stumbling over my feet with nearly every step, though."

"So all you need is a bit of a refreshment course," she decided. "Which I'm all too happy to give you. Could use some of our sparring time for it."

Hiccup shot her a teasing smile. "I'd happily beat you at dancing too."

She frowned at him, unamused. "The only reason you can beat me is because I taught you how to properly fight someone with an axe if you're wielding a sword. But –" Now it was her turn to smile. "I guess it's a deal then."

Hiccup sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"Nope." She cupped his cheek, focusing her eyes on his. "Please, Hiccup, it would really mean a lot to me to be there. Especially with you. And I promise you we'll have a good time." She gave him a sweet smile. "I always enjoy spending time with you, after all."

Hiccup sighed deeply, closing his eyes and biting his lower lip.

"Or I'll just go alone. I'm not afraid," she added, challenging him.

"No. If you're going, then I'm going with you," Hiccup instantly replied.

She pulled up an eyebrow. "Are you implying I can't take care of myself?"

"Of course not, I don't have a death wish. But I know I'd spend the whole night worrying nevertheless." He hugged her closer. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"And nothing will happen," she reassured him, hugging him back. What would Berk ever do to her to begin with? She was still one of them.

She pressed a kiss to Hiccup's cheek. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Hiccup told her. "If there's a raid that night, then I can't make it. And you'll really have to make sure no one can recognize you, and we shouldn't talk to anyone, and –"

She pressed a finger to his lips, shutting him up. "Hiccup, we'll be fine. It'll be fun." She gave him a sly smile. "And, I finally get to show off my  _amazing_ boyfriend to the rest of the Archipelago."

"Who no one can properly see?" Hiccup laughed, slightly confused.

She let one of her hands trail down his armoured chest, regretting the fact he was still dressed. "Babe, no one needs to see your face to get an idea of how handsome you are." Playfully, she pinched his butt through the tough fabric of his flight suit, silencing his slight cry with a passionate, open-mouthed kiss.

Hiccup let out a low groan, his hands finding their way underneath her tunic, caressing the bare curve of her hip. She put her arms up above her head, letting Hiccup pull the garment over it and leaving her completely naked in front of him, save for the long blonde hair flowing down her back.

She could hear Hiccup suck in a breath when he looked at her, embracing her and pulling her body flush against his. He moved to kiss the nape of her neck, softly ghosting his lips over the remains of the last hickey he'd left her before leaving for the Viking Islands.

"I do see one downside to your plan, though," he whispered, backing her up against his desk.

"What would that be?" she hummed as she hooked her leg around his thigh. She started to undo the straps of his armour, feeling his bulge press into her as she pulled him closer.

"If I'm wearing my helmet, and you're wearing a mask," Hiccup continued, his hot breath pleasant, making her skin tingle as he leant his forehead against hers. He smelt like fire, and the ocean's salty breeze. "It means I can't kiss you for all of the Great Hall to see."

"Yeah, I don't think that'd be the smartest idea," she agreed, finally freeing Hiccup from the black layers that prevented them from being skin to skin. Softly, she caressed the scars on his cheek, leaning in to press kisses to them while her hands roamed his body, mapping out every line and confirming they hadn't changed while he'd been gone.

Her attention to those parts of his skin that were less sensitive had exactly the opposite effect, making Hiccup shiver beneath her fingers. She supposed it had to do with the intimacy of someone touching him there, where he had been hurt the most. And if the soft moans in her ear and how he was slowly grinding against her were any indication, she was doing it just right.

Hiccup's hands explored her figure in return, his calloused fingers playing with her breasts, her nipples hardening in response. Her body responded quickly to his touch; it had been too long, the growing heat and wetness between her legs alerting her of just how much she'd missed having him.

"I wouldn't mind them seeing though," Hiccup whispered, his thoughts apparently still coherent enough to remember where their conversation had left off. He smirked, one of his hands roaming down to cup her ass. "Me kissing the most beautiful woman in the Archipelago and beyond."

"Are you sure that's me?" she teased, drawing him into a kiss.

"Absolutely positive," Hiccup nodded, his eyes fluttering close when their lips met. Their tongues found each other, their kiss deepening until it left both of them breathless, Hiccup's voice hoarse as he moved his lips to her ear. "And I wouldn't mind showing everyone that you're mine and mine alone."

His voice made her tremble, the thought of the two of them making out right there for everyone to see strangely arousing. They'd always been alone. No one but the dragons knew, could judge them, was aware of just how crazy they were for each other.

She bit her lower lip, looking up at Hiccup, finding his gorgeous green eyes peering deep into hers, pure passion with a glint of naughtiness within them. She buried one of her hands in his unruly auburn hair, letting the fingers of the other trail down the scarred part of his chest until they were just shy of touching his very visible erection. "What else would you do, to show them I'm yours?"

Hiccup hissed slightly as she wrapped her hand around his cock, letting out a frustrated moan before an actual answer left his lips. "Well, if you did this to me in public, I –" He grunted as she stroked him slightly, visibly struggling to speak. "I – I'd make you –  _fuck_ – pay for that."

"How?" she asked, keeping her eyes focused on his. A challenge. An invitation.

Hiccup's hand closed around her wrist, stilling her hand on his cock. He leant into her, his emerald gaze piercing and utterly arousing. "You want me to show you?"

"Yes." An agreement.

Hiccup's lips curled into a lopsided smile, a hint of evil striking his expression. "For starters," he began, removing her hand from his cock and taking a step back, dragging her along and into his warm chest. "I'd take you to a dark corner, the light just dim enough for someone to see your wonderful silhouette, but not how gorgeous and  _insanely hot_ you really are." Hiccup hooked his finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him while he gave her a stern gaze. "That part of you belongs to me."

Her breath left her when he pressed his lips to hers, his kiss rough and demanding, as if he needed as much of her as possible, his hunger insatiable. Leaving her panting and trembling when they finally separated.

"And those parts of me are just for you too," Hiccup whispered, his voice hoarse and quivering. She sighed contently when he stroked her cheek with the back of one of his scarred fingers. "No one else."

"And then what?" she asked, increasingly aware of the pulsing heat between her legs and Hiccup's erection not too far away from it. She needed him. But letting him play his game, drawing it out and letting him arouse her even further, that just made it so much better.

"Then I'd turn you around," Hiccup answered, his hands on her hips urging her to move.

She gladly obliged, Hiccup grabbing her hips and pulling her back against him as soon as she did. She moaned desperately, feeling his throbbing erection pressed against the lowest part of her back, a few drops of precum wetting her skin.

"Push you against the table." Hiccup nudged her forward until her thighs hit the edge of his desk, the rough wood slightly scratching her skin. One of Hiccup's hands came to rest between her shoulder blades while he wrapped his other arm around her thighs, making her shudder with anticipation.

"Bend you over. Like this." He pushed her shoulders forward until she was lying face down on his desk, her arms her only form of support as he slightly pulled her hips back against his, his cock hot and hard against her perched up ass. Leaving her absolutely, completely at his mercy.

She felt him bend over her, his bare skin on hers as he pressed a kiss between her shoulders. "And fuck you until you can barely feel your legs anymore." Teasingly, he rubbed his erection against her, the friction making her whimper because she wanted him, needed him, to fill her, to fuck her, to make her gasp and beg for more.

Instinctively, she pressed back into him, looking for more. "Do it," she told him, moving slightly to urge him on.

"You're going to have to be nicer," Hiccup responded, one of his hands reaching around to palm her breast, making her quiver because she was wound so tight, needed him so bad. He loved to make her beg for it. And she was all too happy to oblige.

"Hiccup,  _please_ ," she gasped as he took her nipple between his thumb and index finger, slowly playing with the sensitive bud.

"Alright,  _milady_ ," Hiccup whispered, the smirk audible in his voice. His hands left her as he righted himself, one of them softly smacking her ass, a cry escaping her throat.

Hiccup nudged her legs apart with his knees and dragged a finger between her folds, causing her to tremble even more. She didn't know why he even felt he still needed to check she was wet enough because to her, her arousal was all-consuming, her skin flushed. But he didn't leave her wondering for long, the tip of his cock nudging at her entrance.

Carefully, but with a higher sense of urgency than usual, Hiccup pressed into her, moving inch by inch until his hips were pressed flush against hers. Gods, how she'd missed him. Missed this. Him inside her, filling her just perfectly.

"Move, babe," she told him before he could ask if she was fine, her voice breaking with need.

Hiccup didn't linger, his hands coming to rest on her hips as he retreated, pausing for only a moment before he filled her again, drawing a desperate moan from her lips. Hiccup himself wasn't much better, a choked breath leaving him as he picked up his rhythm, thrusting into her with deep, hungry strokes.

It left her trembling and moaning, her nails digging into the wood below her as there was nothing she could do but surrender herself to him, to how he grunted and growled, his thrusts speeding up as his fingers dug into the skin of her hips. As strong and independent as she strived to be, there was something about letting Hiccup take control in these moments that was impossible for her to resist. The way he commanded her, managed to set her on edge, leaving her yearning and wanting and pleading. And while he was clearly never unaffected himself, he managed to stay on top of things nevertheless, showing her that he absolutely, definitely knew what he was doing and what he wanted to do with her. And to her.

And there was nothing more arousing, more enticing and more rewarding than hearing how that control dissolved as he fucked her, Hiccup's cries and grunts growing hoarser, rougher, more feral. Knowing that she had that effect on him, that it was  _her_ that he completely losing his senses to.

She felt his weight press onto her as he leant forward, draping his body over hers, his forehead sticky with exertion as he rested it on her back, his laboured breaths hot on her skin as one of his hands groped her breast.

" _Fuck_ , Astrid," Hiccup moaned, again and again as he nipped at her skin, winding her tighter, already so close, but needing more, that one spot between her thighs begging to be touched.

" _Hiccup_ ," she cried, trying to move one of her hands, but Hiccup's weight kept her pushed down. "Babe,  _please_."

Hiccup made a sound in return, his ability to speak seemingly lost, but his hand reaching between her legs telling her he'd understood. He righted himself slightly, changing the angle of his thrusts as his hand found her clit. The sudden sensation made her scream. She tried to silenced herself by biting into her arm as Hiccup continued to rub her clit, still thrusting into her and pushing her further, faster, driving her crazy with pleasure, her thighs wearing out from being pushed against the hard wood again and again, until at last, she came, her muscles clenching and spasming around his throbbing cock.

Hiccup thrust into her a few more times, holding her up and drawing out her orgasm until her muscles went limp, the sheer amount of pleasure warming every inch of her body. She hardly registered how Hiccup pulled out, rutting against her skin as he spilled over her lower back, his hold on her weakening until he finally collapsed against her, panting loudly.

They stayed like that for a bit, both of them trying to catch their breath. Eventually, she felt Hiccup gather her hair aside, his lips ghosting along her skin as he pressed kisses to a few spots she was sure would be sore tomorrow. "I love you."

Finding what little strength she still had, she pushed herself up to her feet, turning around and forcing Hiccup to right himself as well. His hair was even messier than usual, some sweaty locks sticking to his face, his scars softened and his expression mellow. Only she could do that to him. She'd never let anyone else get close to trying.

Content, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against his chest as she brushed some of his hair aside. "I love you too."

Their lips met in a soft kiss, neither of them caring about their dishevelled state as they embraced each other, melting together. It was supposed to be this way. Together, they could take on anything. Including every challenge that was still going to cross their path.

It was exactly like she'd told Hiccup earlier; they were going to be fine.

* * *

Stoick had thought that things on Berk couldn't possibly get any more out of control. But, like every time he had thought that in the past year, he was proven wrong yet again.

Weddings were always a big thing on Berk. Most of their daily life revolved around dragons; stocking up more food than they could steal or burn. Repairing the damage they did at night. Ensuring Berk would make it through the winter. And of course, fending the damned beasts off at night. It was a communal effort, one that had dominated life on Berk for generations. So any distraction from that, any reason to focus on something other than the island's survival was eagerly taken. And there was nothing that fit that description as much as a wedding.

The wedding of a future chief brought along at least ten times that enthusiasm, the island fully committing itself to the preparations required. They had to make a good impression on the visitors from other islands after all, providing a place to stay and the best kind of food and mead. It kept most of Berk's citizens busy day and night, their efforts only increasing as the day approached. And with the Phantom still holding Berk very tightly in his hold, Stoick couldn't blame his people for keeping their attention focused on something lighter.

Over the past two months, Berk had continued to oblige to the Phantom's demands, their new way of dealing with dragons slowly becoming routine. It was less effective than killing them, their food supply and cattle numbers depleting more than before, but nevertheless, Stoick didn't dare to go back to their old ways. And no one had asked him to. Whatever fragile truce existed between Berk and the Phantom had to be maintained, because he did not know what the Phantom would do if they were to break it.

The Phantom himself wasn't giving him any clues; the terrorist had not visited him again, restraining himself to leaving the occasional note, reporting that he was happy with Berk's obedience and that Astrid was still alive. And if that consistent humiliation was the price Stoick had to pay for constraining the Phantom's victims to the poor girl, then he gladly continued to do so. Because, especially with Spitelout consistently letting him know that he was still not beyond blackmailing him, he was powerless to do anything else.

That hadn't prevented him from speaking up when Ruffnut and Snotlout, enthusiastically aided by Tuffnut, had announced the  _theme_ of their wedding, however. He was used to the twins throwing themed parties – it was one of the many obscure family traditions the Thorstons had – but for a wedding of this stature, dragging the whole Archipelago along with it… It was outrageous, preposterous, absolutely out of line and improper. All of which only seemed to encourage Spitelout to push his son and future daughter-in-law to go through with it.

The idea of mystery, intrigue, representing the unknown had caught on with the people of Berk a lot quicker than Stoick had expected it to however. Making his argument against it even more futile. There was something about it that appealed to the Berkians, this idea of darkness and being anonymous. Because they were fighting someone who represented the pinnacle of all of that every day. The Phantom.

He'd thought that would mean the Berkians wanted to celebrate in a way that was as far from the Phantom as possible, so that for one night, they could pretend he did not exist. But Gobber had been quick to point out the exact opposite. People who are afraid try to relativize their enemy, to prevent it's insignificant. They ridicule it, make it their own. So it can't frighten them any longer. So they can forget, even if it's just for a moment.

He himself would not join his people in dressing up, and the Hoffersons had excused themselves from the wedding altogether; they helped out with the preparations, but would set out to fully commit to looking for Astrid again as soon as they'd done what was necessary. And no one could blame them. But when it came to the rest of Berk, who was he to take something away from his people that finally seemed to be offering them some sort of consolation? Which he had never been able to provide?

Rules and traditions had lost their value ever since they'd given in to the Phantom's demands. So how could he continue to try to hold his people to them, his most pressing reason to do so the Phantom himself? The fear that the Phantom would see the whole event as an insult. Or an opportunity. His reaction completely unpredictable, if there would be one to begin with. He had never concerned himself with Berk's daily activities, after all. The Phantom's notes had been completely quiet on the matter, no ridicule nor threat regarding the wedding in them. But that didn't make Stoick any less unsettled. One couldn't guess the thoughts of a madman, after all.

In the end, all he could do was wait. Try not to get too frustrated with his inability to act. Stay guarded. And pray to the Gods that everything would turn out fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo…. I guess that confirms what many people were already suspecting; the wedding between Ruffnut and Snotlout will indeed be featured! And I am absolutely thrilled to start writing it!
> 
> This was a bit of an in-between and setting-up chapter, and also the last of the Entr'Acte chapters! The next one will be named after the next Phantom of the Opera song; Masquerade! Taking us back a bit closer to the source material of the musical.
> 
> Normally, I'd say that chapter would be uploaded on June 27, but given that the deadline of my thesis is on the 28th, I don't want to have those two deadlines so close together. So the next chapter will be uploaded somewhere between Thursday June 27 and the Thursday after, July 4 at the latest. If I have a more accurate estimate, I will report it on my Tumblr (aleteia-ff)!


	33. Masquerade - Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand The Phantom of the Arena is back! I have been looking forward to writing and publishing this chapter for a long time, and as a result, it turned out a lot longer than I'd intended it to; about 11-12k words. I considered splitting it up, but given that you guys have already been waiting for the next chapter for three weeks, here it is in one go!
> 
> With Masquerade - Part One, I am officially back to naming the chapters of the story after the song in the musical The Phantom of the Opera. Hence, I also posted the lyrics of the song Masquerade I feel are most applicable to this particular chapter!
> 
> I hope you enjoy! ^^

_Masquerade!_

_Grinning yellows, spinning reds_

_Masquerade!_

_Take your fill - let the spectacle astound you!_

_Masquerade!_

_Burning glances, turning heads_

_Masquerade!_

_Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you_

**Masquerade – Part One**

The date of the wedding had approached a lot faster than Astrid had expected it to. Then again, she'd been incredibly busy. And so had Hiccup, relentlessly continuing his quest to defend the Archipelago's dragons. In the scarce amount of days he was back home, they'd found another opportunity to visit the Edge, the result of their drills there leaving both of them optimistic. They'd even agreed to start making an actual attack plan after the wedding, which would require them to scout out the queen's nest sometime soon. To her relief, Hiccup seemed prepared to deal with that, despite the awful experience he'd had on the island.

Aside from her daily drills, most of her time had been dedicated to preparing for Ruffnut's and Snotlout's wedding, which arguably didn't take that much time to begin with. Hiccup and she had decided that they would only drop in after the ceremony – very classily skipping the most boring part of the event – so all she had to do was prepare her disguise. Hiccup had given her feedback on it – visibly trying to hide the fact that he was still not particularly enthusiastic about her plan – but hadn't seen how it all looked together, and she couldn't wait to show him. They'd agreed that if there was a raid too close to the day of the actual wedding, Hiccup would just wait on Berk instead of flying to Phantom Island and back again, so she was currently on her way there. But even a flight as long as the one from Phantom Island to Berk was doable if she had Stormfly with her, the Nadder seeming to enjoy the change of scenery as much as she did.

It was almost dusk when they approached Berk, circling the island at a high altitude so no one would be alarmed by an approaching dragon. It was strange to be so close to the island for the first time in months. From this high up, it still looked the same; its shape, its mountains and its forests unchanged. But this would be the first time she'd set foot on it again after over seven months. And no one would know who she was. If all went well, that was.

She nudged Stormfly to veer down towards the island when they reached the sea stack maze on the other side of it. It didn't take her long to spot the two black spots on top of one of the stacks. She smiled as she took Hiccup in, leisurely lying on top of the sea stack as if he was on a holiday, Toothless in a similar position, occasionally swatting his rider with the tip of his tail.

"Looks like you two are enjoying yourselves," was what she announced herself with as Stormfly touched down next to them.

"I figured we could use a bit of a tan," Hiccup quipped, moaning loudly as he stretched his muscles.

"Then maybe you should take off your flight suit," she suggested.

"Astrid, as much as I appreciate your not-so-subtle ways of getting me out of my clothes, I'd say now is hardly the time." Hiccup sat up, looking at her as she dismounted Stormfly. She smirked when she saw his eyes go a little wider. "Okay, never mind, forget I said anything."

She shook his head as she approached him, pulling him up to his feet. "So there was a raid recently, or?"

"Yeah, the Outcasts got lucky again last night. There weren't a lot of them on the island to begin with, so that should spice things up tonight," Hiccup informed her as he patted the dust off his armour. Then, he took a moment to look her up and down. "But really, Astrid, you look absolutely gorgeous."

"I'm just happy Atali let me have it," she commented, trying to hide her slight blush as she straightened her outfit. She'd figured asking the Wingmaidens for an outfit was worth a shot, as borrowing clothes was easier than making them from scratch. Atali had been all too happy to just let her keep it however – yet another apology, she supposed – so she had taken the liberty to make some alterations herself, adding a few of Stormfly's scales to the silver top, skirt, shoulder pads and boots. Combined with her own hood and gloves, which she'd made after she'd left Berk, she was sure no one would recognize her by her clothes alone.

"And that you were fine with me visiting them, of course," she added.

"Well, like I said then, as long as you don't invite them to the wedding, forcing me to see them too, I don't care," Hiccup shrugged. "Especially not if this –" He gestured at her with both of his hands. "Is what I get in return, I have absolutely no complaints."

"You're so sappy," she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You didn't end up adding a cape to your suit, like you said earlier?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Nah, too impractical, can only get stuck on things." His arms encircled her waist. "And I don't think I need it, since I'll be with the prettiest girl in the room."

He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her sweetly. She returned it enthusiastically, burying her hands in his hair as her body arched into his, only separating when they were both about to run out of air.

Hiccup looked at her sweetly, his pupils slightly dilated. "What did I do to earn that?"

"Just making up for all the times we won't be able to do that tonight," she smiled, pressing a kiss to the scars on his cheek. Her expression turning into a frown, she took his hands in hers. "Hiccup, my parents, did you…?"

"Yeah, I checked," Hiccup nodded, softly rubbing his thumbs over the backs of her hands. "They're way too far out, if they're even on their way to Berk to begin with. So they won't be here tonight."

She softly bit her lower lip, her heart sinking. "I see." So they were probably looking for her again after all. "I guess that's good, since they'd be the most likely to recognize me…"

"Hey," Hiccup called, making her focus her eyes on his. "It's not your fault."

"It is. They're looking for  _me_."

"Okay, yeah, that's true," Hiccup agreed. "But we can't change that right now."

She didn't answer. She should have told them what was going on, perhaps fly out there right now, fix it…

Hiccup grabbed her shoulders, snapping her back to him. "Come on, Astrid, you've been looking forward to this night ever since you knew it was happening. So let's have fun!" He flashed her a smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "And we can worry about the rest again tomorrow."

Her lips curled up tentatively. "You seem a lot more enthusiastic about going than before."

"Well, since we're here already, might as well," Hiccup shrugged. "And I didn't dress up for nothing. A beautiful woman promised me a good time."

She shook her head. "You're such a dork."

"Your dork," Hiccup corrected.

"I love you."

He gave her a short peck, followed up by a toothy, lopsided smile that made her heart melt. "Love you too."

She pressed another kiss to his lips before separating the two of them. "Shall we get going then?"

"Aye, milady," Hiccup nodded, poking Toothless, who was trying to pretend he didn't notice Stormfly wanted to play with him. With a low grumble, the Night Fury got up, allowing Hiccup into his saddle while Astrid herself got back on Stormfly.

"So do you want to go there directly, or are we taking a detour?" Hiccup asked as he put on his gloves and helmet, concealing his smirk.

"You promised me you'd show me the arena some day," she reminded him once again. "I'd say today is perfect. As long as we're not seen, of course."

"If I didn't know better, I'd almost think you were insulting me. Of course we won't be seen. I surveyed the place just before you arrived," Hiccup quipped from behind his visor as he moved Toothless' tail in position. "Let's go. Stay close."

They took off, diving down into the maze of sea stacks, soaring just over the surface of the sea surrounding Berk. There were no ships or people on this side of the island, so they could fly freely, but Hiccup kept up the pace nevertheless. She figured he'd rather be safe than sorry.

Within mere minutes, they reached the bottom of the cliff the arena was located on, approaching it at such a high speed she was sure they would slam into it. And right as she was about to change course, she caught the shift in Toothless' left tail fin, the Night Fury and his rider taking a sharp turn to the right, forcing her and Stormfly to copy them. Only then did she see the opening in the stone just above the waterfront, barely large enough for a dragon to fit through. Hiccup headed straight for it, so she followed, pitch black darkness surrounding them.

The lack of light was disorienting, making her put all her faith in Stormfly knowing what was up and down, where Hiccup and Toothless were going, and most importantly, where the walls were. She was only left wondering for a mere second however, as Inferno's blazing shape appeared not far ahead of her. It lit up the area around them, the shades that accompanied the sword's flames still making it difficult for her to get a good idea of where they were.

Soon, Hiccup slowed down, Toothless' paws touching down on the ground below them as the dragon proceeded to slowly walk forward instead.

"Where are we?" she wondered out loud as she pulled Stormfly to a halt. She followed Hiccup around a corner, the only reason he was still holding Inferno seemingly to guide her, as he wasn't using it to investigate their surroundings at all.

"Very close," Hiccup told her, his voice echoing through what she was now pretty sure were tunnels. Or a set of very round caves. It was slightly creepy, the air around them cold yet strangely humid. The shape of it all seemed familiar however, as if she'd seen it before, but the lack of light made it hard for her to put her finger on it. There were other tunnels too, intersecting with the one they were walking through, which Hiccup plainly ignored, navigating the system with ease.

They continued on through the tunnels, Hiccup occasionally calling out to her and Stormfly that they had to duck. Wherever they were was clearly not built to accommodate an adult Nadder and its rider. If it had been built to fit a dragon in the first place. Toothless and Hiccup didn't seem to have much problems with it, but given the roundness of the space, she was pretty sure Toothless' wingspan wouldn't quite make it through either. Round was an odd shape for a dragon to begin with, except for –

"These are Whispering Death tunnels," she realized, scolding herself for not recognizing them earlier. They had enough of them on Phantom Island after all.

"Yup."

"Oddly convenient," she wondered out loud. Most tunnels the dragons dug went into every direction but the ones humans had any use for. Straight up, straight down, or with such a slope that it was physically impossible to climb it. These tunnels however only had a slight incline or decline them, making them very manageable even for someone who wasn't on dragonback.

"And here we are already," Hiccup told her triumphantly, swinging one of his slender legs over Toothless' back as he dismounted. 'Here' didn't mean much to her yet – apart from a cave that seemed slightly more spacious – but she followed his lead anyways, walking up to her boyfriend.

Hiccup moved his visor up, Inferno throwing shadows on his features as he squinted his eyes at the darkness around them. "Little more light, guys?"

Both Stormfly and Toothless obeyed instantly, a low flame blazing up in both of their jaws, eerily lighting the area around them. It was only now that she could see that they were standing in a large, circular cave, but its shape was too neat, too perfect for it to be natural. It was man-made, just like the round, large wooden structure in the middle of it.

"We're below the arena," she realized.

"Exactly." Hiccup smiled, casually knocking on the wood with his knuckles. "This was made by Berk themselves, reconstructing the floor of the layer above, after they figured they apparently didn't want to use the space they'd excavated below the current ring."

"Well, that's your fault," she pointed out. "We didn't really need extra cells to keep dragons in after you started releasing them."

"I know, so I figured it'd be a shame to let all of this become a waste of time," Hiccup mused as he followed the arena's curve towards the right.

"And you made it your pet project."

"Given that I had no choice but to spend a lot of time on Berk, and my weapons and flight suit were finished eventually, yeah, I got bored," Hiccup shrugged. "So I figured I could look into making things a little more interesting and creative. Make certain places of Berk my own." His head disappeared as he stepped up what seemed to be a small, stone platform.

She stepped closer, watching as he moved his head in front of the stone wall. "What are you looking at?"

"The arena itself." Hiccup sheathed Inferno and extended his hand to her, pulling her up the steps to the platform. He put his hands on her hips, positioning her in the same place he'd just been and nudging her up. "Get on your toes, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution."

Slightly confused, she obliged, Hiccup holding her in place while she stretched out slightly. When she got high enough, she finally saw it; the light from outside, falling through two tiny slits that allowed her to look into the arena itself. It was completely empty, the doors to most of its cells closed, its torches barely burning with a low flame. Still as out-of-use as it had been when she was back on Berk, thanks to Hiccup.

"So this is how you spied on me?"

"Pretty much, yeah. There's some slits down there too." Hiccup gestured to somewhere around her thighs. "Standing all the time while talking to you became quite tiring, after a while. And there are some holes that allow me to look into the cells too, in other places. All of them so small that you wouldn't notice them unless you're looking for them."

"You're so sneaky," she smiled, intrigued. Out of all the times she'd been looking for the Phantom, she'd never thought of him being  _behind the walls themselves_. "But then how did you talk to me? Through these holes as well?"

"This place works like an echo chamber," Hiccup explained, gesturing at the space around them. "Just speak up loudly enough and you can easily hear it in the whole arena. It actually helped me a lot with freeing the dragons here. I used to just set them free and try to rush out and calm them down afterwards, but coming from this side allowed me to get a good look at them, talk to them, put them at ease before –" Hiccup gestured to a pair of ropes hanging just to the right of them. "Letting them go."

"The locks work from inside here?"

"Yes," Hiccup beamed, slightly tugging on the ropes. "One of them to open it, the other to close it. It took me quite some time to figure out how to make it work, I still have the sketches back at home, I could show you, it –"

"Babe, I wouldn't understand a thing," she laughed, taking in his proud smile. "But I don't doubt it's ingenious."

"I even taught Toothless how to use them too." Hiccup gestured at the dragon, who proudly wagged his tail.

"And you did this for all of the cells?" she wondered, looking around.

"Of course! You know me, when I obsessively commit to something, I see it through."

She shook her head. "You surely do." Her eyes landed on the tunnel they'd come through. It was convenient. "And what about the way here?" Too convenient. "Did you make that too?"

"Yes," was all Hiccup offered in response.

She squinted her eyes at him, a memory coming back to her.  _I was on Berk doing some dragon-relocating. A Whispering Death, to be precise._  "It's a Whispering Death tunnel."

"Uhuh," Hiccup responded, biting his lower lip.

She sighed, his hesitance telling her exactly what she needed to know. "Hiccup, did you…? Back when…?"

"Yes," he admitted, his eyes focusing on anything but her. "The Whispering Death I had to get Ruffnut and Tuffnut away from was mine to begin with. I was on Berk expanding the tunnel system. They go all the way under the village, to the forests, and -"

She looked at him, exasperated. "Hiccup, you can't just  _stab_  people because they're in the way of one of your projects!" She still remembered the shock on Ruffnut's face, her tears, thinking Tuffnut had died…

"I didn't mean to!" Hiccup retorted. "Whispering Deaths, they're… incredibly difficult to train and keep in line."

"So it's outright reckless!" she yelled, confirming that indeed, the arena worked just like an echo chamber.

"I know. And I messed up."

She stepped off the platform they were both still standing on, needing to take a bit of distance as she agitatedly rubbed her forehead. "And you didn't tell me this before because…?"

"I didn't know how to," Hiccup murmured, his shoulders slumping. "I figured showing you would be easier."

"So you would've told me if I hadn't figured it out?"

"Yes," Hiccup nodded, his green eyes peering into hers while he maintained his distance. "It was a mistake. Really."

"It's so unnecessarily careless," she insisted. "What if Tuff and Ruff had actually been hurt?"

"But they didn't. I got a handle on it in time."

"After losing control in the first place," she pointed out. "I thought that was the one thing you never did."

That visibly got to him, his eyes narrowing. "Yeah, well, I wasn't exactly on the top of my game back then," Hiccup bitterly remarked.

"Why not." It was a demand more than an actual question. Gods, how could he put other people's lives on the line like that?

"Because of you, of course."

She gaped at him, astonished. "You can't put this on me."

"And I'm not. It was my mistake. Completely," Hiccup asserted, taking a step towards her. "I was all over the place. Distracted, miserable. Even then, over a month later, I couldn't stop thinking about the fight we'd had…" He closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh. "I was so angry with you, still, but yet I missed you, I was so  _confused_  and I tried to run away from that by focusing on one of my 'pet projects' instead. Which was completely ineffective. I wanted to talk to you, or forget you, or anything, just…" He gestured at her, with wide movements. "You." He laughed to himself, before looking back at her, his expression pained. "It's always you. And now I've made you upset again."

She sighed deeply, approaching him as his eyes finally found hers again. "You should've told me earlier."

"I'm sorry. I failed, and…"

"You don't like to talk about that," she nodded. "But we discussed this before. I want to know those failures too. I  _need_ to, if they apply to me too, like this did."

"I know," Hiccup murmured. "I'll try."

"And I don't want to get hung up on this, it was months ago, you fucked up, big time, but no one died, and I really don't know what else to say about it. Nor do I want to let it ruin tonight," she sighed. "But I want you to tell me now if there is anything else I should know."

Hiccup shook his head. "No."

"Alright," she nodded, reaching up and softly caressing the scars on the right side of his face.

Hiccup pulled away however, his gloved hands grabbing hers. "But I'd like to show you something else still, if that's okay?"

"Sure," she nodded, letting Hiccup pull her along further, into a lower section of the ring, until he eventually let her go, stepping up onto another platform and raising his hands above his head. He seemed to be looking for something on the ceiling, a triumphant grin appearing on his face when he pushed against it, moving a slab of stone out of place. He proceeded to pull himself up, his torso disappearing, followed by his long legs as Toothless, Stormfly and she watched on.

A pair of hands emerged from the hole above her head. "Come on."

She grabbed them, letting Hiccup pull her up – she was still surprised by how deceptively strong he was – until she could put her upper arms on either side of the opening and do the rest herself. She heard Hiccup move the slab of stone back into place as soon as she was up on her feet, darkness surrounding them now that their dragons were no longer lighting their way.

"I could light Inferno," Hiccup murmured. "But I think you know where we are."

His hands closed around her wrists, nothing else reaching her senses but Hiccup's gloved touch and the sound of his slow and measured breaths.

She smiled to herself. She knew this scenario all too well. She'd replayed it in her mind for months, after all. "This is my cell, isn't it?" She was sure that if she walked around, she would find the familiar corners, the dents in the walls, every detail of the space she'd become so accustomed to over the months she spent 'hunting' the Phantom.

"Exactly," Hiccup answered. "I made some entrances into some of them so I could get to the dragons before releasing them. Calm them down, tame them, so they would follow me after I let them go. And when you came around, I'd sometimes just crawl into and sit in one of the open cells, underneath a Changewing skin." He laughed, his breath hitting her face. "Especially once you stopped actually trying to find me, I could be a lot less careful."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, rub it in."

"I'm not trying to rub it in!" Hiccup retorted. He rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands. "If anything, it made me feel you trusted me. To the extent that you could trust someone you'd never seen, of course."

"I sort-of did, I suppose…," she admitted. "Although I kept telling myself not to."

"Yeah, and I told myself to stop talking to you, to get away from you before things got worse. And instead I stuck around in a dragon cell and kissed you."

"I remember that," she smiled. "I considered stabbing you, for a brief moment."

"Would've been a reasonable reaction," Hiccup chuckled, his hot exhales tickling her skin. "I don't even know why I did it. Revealing myself. I had been so hung up on winter coming along, which meant I would be gone and wouldn't see you for such a long time… And when the snow fell, I just knew I had to give it a shot, or I'd spend the whole winter wondering…"

"I'm happy you did it," she whispered.

"Me too," Hiccup mumbled. "I have hardly ever been that nervous though. My heart was almost beating out of my chest, because I couldn't see your face, there was nothing for me to read except your body language. And then you touched me and I –" He took her hand, carefully laying it on his unscathed cheek, his skin warm beneath her fingertips. "I can't remember the last time someone touched me like that. I mean, I hadn't had human skin contact ever since I left Constantinople, but even that didn't compare, it was just –"

"Like no one had ever touched you like that before," she completed. She recognized that feeling.

Hiccup's breath left him. "Yes."

Carefully, she raised her other hand, finding the lines on his skin with her fingers. "What would you have done? If I'd touched your scars instead."

"I probably would've pulled away or redirected you before you'd gotten that far. One thing at a time."

"Well, we're there now." She tenderly stroked his cheek, pulling him in closer and leaning her forehead against his. "I love you."

Hiccup softly pressed his nose against her cheek. "I love you too. So much."

She didn't know if the kiss that followed was better than their first one. It was longer, and a lot less chaste for sure, both of them wrapping their arms around each other and pulling the other closer, as if air was an unnecessary luxury and all they needed to survive was each other. But whereas their first kiss had been full of doubt, shrouded in uncertainty and the question of morality, there was none of that now. Kissing Hiccup, holding him, loving him with all she had, was absolutely, definitely the right thing to do.

"We should probably get going," Hiccup panted when they were eventually forced to separate.

"Yeah," she nodded, still slightly out of breath. "Wouldn't want to miss the feast."

Hiccup planted a quick peck to her lips before he let her go, lowering himself back into the tunnels and catching her when she did the same. Toothless and Stormfly looked happy to be reunited with their riders, their patience likely running thin.

Hiccup proceeded to lead them out of the arena's underground, back into the tunnels, holding her hand while they made their way through the dark, as he didn't seem to need any light to guide them. He talked about how the tunnels he'd made, along with the caves that already existed, covered nearly the entirety of populated Berk, giving him a safe travel route when the skies weren't available. If she ignored the mishap in the construction of it – which she resolved she'd do, at least for tonight – it was actually really impressive.

The system stretched on for miles and eventually started to slope and spiral upwards, until finally, they ended up in a larger cave, a clear view of the orange-and-blue sky at the other, open end of it.

Hiccup gestured towards the edge of it, triumphantly spreading his arms. "This is my favourite spot on all of Berk. Well, after the cove, probably."

Her mouth instantly opened in surprise when she reached the edge and got a proper look at the view. She could see the horizon, the ocean, the sea stacks just off the coast of Berk, the two statues in its waters, and below them, the familiar shapes of the village. "We're above the Great Hall," she realized.

"Right above it, yes," Hiccup nodded. "The tunnels we just walked through spiral up through the mountain it's in. Creating the best stake-out point I could ever wish for." He sat down, his long legs dangling over the edge of the cave. "With the upside that while I can see Berk, they can't really see me."

"It's amazing," she gaped, slowly moving down next to him.

"It's too far up to really see who's who – apart from the obvious people, like my dad and Gobber – but it's perfect for me to get a sense of what's going on." Hiccup smiled to himself. "Makes me feel like I am actually in charge of this island after all, looking down on all of them like this."

"I can imagine," she nodded. He had lived most of his life believing he was going to be the next Chief of Berk, after all.

Looking down at the village she knew so well, it was indeed hard for her to make out specific people, but it was certainly a lot busier than usual, the streets of Berk filled to the brim with wedding guests. She spotted some temporary emergency huts at the outskirts of the village for those visitors who couldn't stay with friends or family. A new boar pit had been dug dangerously close to those same huts, and tables had been placed in the village's squares, people crowded around them and some standing – or lying – on top of them already. She couldn't see the smiles on the Vikings' faces, or hear what they were saying, but she was sure they were having a good time. And things in the Great Hall itself could only be better.

Hiccup and she stayed like that for a while, watching the little people move below them, the occasional not-so-sober shouts reaching their ears and making them giggle. Eventually, Hiccup cleared his throat. "Are you absolutely sure you still want to do this?" His question was sincere, the tone of his voice soft and caring.

"I am." She wasn't turning back now.

She got up and beckoned Stormfly over, retrieving her mask from the Nadder's saddlebags. It was made out of leather, adorned with as many of Stormfly's scales as she could put on it, colouring her whole face blue and golden when Hiccup tied the strings of it around the back of her head. She removed her axe from her back, strapping it to Stormfly's saddle so no one could recognize her by her weapon. Then, she fixed her braid, making sure none of her hair was in her face before she pulled up her hood, concealing the rest of the blonde mass.

"How do I look?" she asked her boyfriend, her voice muffled by the fabric in front of it.

"Gorgeous," Hiccup grinned, before adding: "And if I didn't know better, I wouldn't instantly think it's you."

"Perfect." Teasingly, she knocked Hiccup's visor down, concealing his face as well. "Then I think we're ready."

"Okay, so, just to be clear," Hiccup objected, holding up his hands. "If we get in trouble, we run. Call out to Stormfly and Toothless if you need to, they'll hear us if they stay up here. If we have to eat or drink, we just go into the forests, couples do that all the time after all, so no one will think it's weird. Please don't talk to anyone, because they might recognize your voice, and please stay with me, because I don't know if I'll be able to find you very quickly in a crowd as big as this."

"Hiccup." She rolled her eyes. "I know, we discussed this all before, remember?"

"I'm just making sure," he laughed. "Oh, and I was thinking, if we  _do_ lose each other, I can't call out your actual name, of course, so…" She could see him deliberate behind his visor. "I'll call you Christine instead."

Amused, she pulled up an eyebrow. "Why Christine specifically?"

"I think it sounds nice," Hiccup shrugged. "And it's an unusual name, so there won't be any mix-ups."

"Fine." She poked his chest. "And what do I call you?"

The look in his eyes turned into one of surprise. Apparently, he hadn't thought of that yet. "Uhm… You can call me Alexander, I suppose."

"A-lek-zan-der," she tried, the name feeling incredibly foreign on her tongue.

"It was the name of the king of one of the largest empires of the ancient world," Hiccup explained. "Among many other people."

"Alright, that works." She shot him a smile, which he couldn't see, but she hoped her eyes would deliver the message. "Let's go."

After ensuring Toothless and Stormfly that they would be fine and that the dragons could stay put, they made their way back down through the tunnels, Hiccup leading them towards one of the exits close to the village itself. She could feel her heart beating faster with every step she took, her nerves finally catching up to her. She would be among the people of Berk again. As a stranger. Lying to them, like she had for months already. But doing it up close now, for the first time.

And then she wasn't even including the amount of trouble they could possibly get into if she was found out. Her situation might be explainable, but if they got their hands on Hiccup too… She could only imagine the shock the village would go through, learning that their lost heir was not only alive, but also the very person who had been haunting and terrorising them for months. Would he have their sympathy? She knew how Vikings could react to sudden changes, and that knowledge didn't put her at ease at all. Hiccup, alive, sympathising with dragons more than humans, actively having worked against Berk… It wouldn't be pretty. If he ever chose to reveal the truth, he'd have to be a lot more tactical than simply walking in and saying hello.

But she believed it wouldn't come to that. If there was anyone who would have a handle on situations like these, it was the man currently walking next to her, holding her hand in his. She didn't know if Hiccup could sense her anxiety, but if he did, he didn't comment on it, only occasionally squeezing her hand.

Eventually, they arrived at the exit Hiccup was leading them to. He moved the stone slab that covered it out of the way, while commenting on how not all of them were this easy to displace, and that some of them required dragon assistance – on purpose, because he didn't want people to randomly stumble upon the less-well-hidden entrances to the tunnel system.

They crawled out of the exit, into Berk's forest, Hiccup skilfully covering up the hole in the ground with the stone, along with some dirt and leaves, so no drunk Vikings would wander into the tunnels and get miserably lost. Or somehow find Toothless and Stormfly, although she couldn't imagine the two dragons being too hard on a clearly wasted Viking who couldn't even hit them if they wanted to. But it was better to make sure it wouldn't come to that.

Taking each other's hands yet again – they had agreed they would keep up the appearance of a close, young couple, as that was what they were after all, and intertwining her fingers with Hiccup's wasn't exactly a punishment – they casually made their way through Berk's familiar woods. Her sense of direction surprised her, given the amount of time she'd been away, but she figured that the island you spent twenty years of your life on wasn't something you forgot that easily.

The noise coming from the village increased as the forest became thinner, its large trees dwindling in numbers until only muddy ground and a few small bushes remained. The first faint sounds of music could be heard, crowded out by the Vikings' shouts and out-of-tune singing. It brought a smile to her face, the smell of the pine trees slowly replaced by the kind of flavours she hadn't smelled since she'd last visited the Wingmaidens. She almost started drooling on the spot and in a quick look at Hiccup she read his agreement that they were definitely getting food first.

Making their way from the outskirts to the centre of Berk's village, they slowly submerged themselves into the masses, who seemed to be paying attention to anyone but the two strangers suddenly in their midst. She recognized a few of them, Berkians she distantly knew and who hadn't done a very good job at adhering to the theme, the only kind of disguise they wore the droplets of mead in their beard and their clothes as they waddled around the town, their drinking horns and mugs swaying dangerously and spilling over with every step. There were always those who finished partying long before the others started, only to come in for a second round later.

Her eyes continued to survey the thickening crowd, noting how most attendants had opted for wearing darker colours than usual, the occasional mask or hood greeting her when their owners' heads turned to glance at Hiccup and her after all. They'd look away again soon after, paying the in their eyes probably overdressed strangers no mind, and she in turn tried her best not to notice any of it. Blend in with the crowd. Pretend you're nothing out of the ordinary. That there is nothing they should be suspicious about. That's what Hiccup had told her to do at all times, and his own green eyes were seemingly looking at nothing but what was exactly in front of him. Nevertheless, she felt him gently squeeze her hand when they made their way up the stairs to the Great Hall.

It had to be an even stranger sensation for him than it was for her. Walking through the village again, which was brightly lit by more torches than usual to combat the incoming night, along with highlighting the decorative flowers and dark pieces of fabric that'd been hung from some of the higher buildings and poles, to match the theme. Stepping through the two big wooden doors of the Great Hall, into the comfortable heat of the fireplace burning in the middle of it, warming the few hundred people gathered within it.

The crowd hid most of the rest of the Hall from view, but she could hear the tunes of what were undoubtedly the best pan flute and pipe players they could find echo through it, despite the noise the Vikings themselves were making. The smell of what had to be ale, mead, roasted yak, marinated boar and fish cooked to perfection filled her nostrils, flooding her senses and making her stomach grumble. She only took a brief glance at the people around them, most of those in the Great Hall clearly having put more effort into their outfits, and instead locked her eyes on the buffet at the side of the entrance, dragging Hiccup towards it, who softly chuckled in response.

"Oh. My. Thor."

Her heart caught in her throat. She recognized that voice, would recognize it anywhere, but it couldn't possibly be directed at them, right? It made no sense, it –

" _You_."

She tried to take another step, but halted when Hiccup froze dead in his tracks, tugging on the hand held in his. Her head snapped back to look at him, alarmed. She found his bright green eyes blown wide with shock, his lips undoubtedly drawn into a thin line behind his visor. And on his shoulders were two black, gloved hands. Connected to none other than Tuffnut Thorston.

As hard as Tuffnut seemed to have tried to make himself unrecognisable, to someone like her, who had known him all his life, he had failed miserably. Instead of wearing a mask, he had simply painted his face red and black, the patterns of which she could only possibly imagine were supposed to make him look like a monster from myth. He had replaced the horns on his helmet with black and pointy ones, and his signature dreadlocks were tied together at the bottom of his chin for a reason that was entirely unclear to her. He'd included the same kind of extravagance in his outfit, having completely covered himself in red and black coloured fabric, made even wickeder with an incredible array of spikes, studs and frills. She honestly didn't know how to describe his look, but he had clearly put his heart and soul into it. Which would be very amusing if he wasn't still touching her clearly stunned boyfriend.

"You,  _my man_ , look absolutely mag-ni-fi-cent!" Tuffnut enthusiastically exclaimed.

Hiccup's breath visibly left him. "Thank you," he spoke, slipping into his Greek accent.

"Turn around!" Tuffnut insisted. "Let me have a good look at you."

Shooting her a quick look which she interpreted as 'just play along', Hiccup released her hand and spun on his heel, leaving her to follow.

Tuffnut took a long look at the both of them, but if the widening grin on his face was any indication, he hadn't realized that he was examining two people he had spent at least fourteen years of his childhood with. "I mean,  _great_  effort on the theme, to the both of you," the male twin giddily gestured. "But especially to you, sir, like – wow. I think I did a little better myself, but, you're definitely not far off."

"Thank you," Hiccup nodded, clearly trying to say as little as possible, and she copied his motion to try and seem polite.

"You should definitely tell me how you made this, because this –" Tuffnut gripped Hiccup's armoured biceps, squeezing it firmly. "Is  _craftsmanship_." She could agree with that. Especially what was below the suit was pure art.

"I don't think we –"

"No, wait, don't tell me now," Tuffnut interrupted Hiccup, holding up both of his hands. "I got a better idea. You two." He pointed at the both of them. "Should come join me in the boar pit. My cousin Gruffnut and I are just getting ready for a game of doubles, that's why I removed my cape, and you – you look like mighty adversaries." He almost jumped up on his feet, swinging one of his arms over Hiccup's shoulder. "And you know, maybe in the game after that, we could swap, have you and I play a game together, as a team."

"As much as I appreciate your offer," Hiccup started, side-eyeing her as he grabbed Tuffnut's hand and slowly released himself from his grip. "I'm afraid we have to decline. See, my wife here –" Her eyes went wide when Hiccup gestured at her, the look in his eyes urging her to play along. "Isn't from around here, so she doesn't know the rules, and I'm not quite sure it's her thing."

What followed next was what she could only describe as a completely incomprehensible stream of sounds and indecipherables, flooding from Hiccup's mouth and forming what she supposed had to be sentences and words, directed at her. She hadn't the faintest clue what he was saying but pretended to be listening, figuring he had a plan. He was slightly motioning his head from left to right, along with his eyes, and when he finally stopped talking, she hoped she'd interpreted his attempts at communication correctly, and shook her head at Tuffnut.

"I'm sure we could teach her! It's not that difficult, and if you are there to translate, we can definitely work it out!" Tuffnut insisted. "It might actually be even more fun if she doesn't know all the rules! But if she really doesn't want to, then I wouldn't mind playing singles with you instead."

"No, I'm not leaving her side," Hiccup retorted, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. "And I'm not sure having her play would be a good idea either. It's still very early and we were planning to keep it between us, but given that we don't know each other, I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell…" Hiccup's other arm encircled her as well, protectively holding her close. "We might be welcoming a baby this Spring."

Her shocked expression matched Tuffnut's, gaping at Hiccup from behind her mask while Tuffnut did so openly. Eventually, he blinked, closing his jaw and smiling brightly as he grabbed both of their shoulders. "Well congratulations! Be safe! Go easy on the mead! If you need anything, let me know, I am a caretaker extraordinaire, if I may say so myself, and –"

"Gustav!"

Out of the three of them, Tuffnut clearly had the worst startle reflex – which was peculiar, for someone who pulled pranks on other people all the time – and jumped up at least a few feet into the air when 18-year old Gustav Larson loudly appeared behind him. Gustav had gotten a little taller in the months that had passed, but if he'd changed besides that was impossible for her to derive, because he had completely covered himself with a white sheet with only two holes in it, concealing everything but his eyes.

"Gustav!" Tuffnut exclaimed, spinning around to face the younger boy. "If Ruff and I aren't Loki'ing our guests, neither can you! And you can't call this a costume, ghosts don't look like that! They –"

Hiccup took the moment to gently tap Tuffnut on his shoulder, waving goodbye and dragging Astrid along with him to the buffet. They filled up their plates as quickly as they could – she didn't really care what she ate anyways, everything looked extraordinary compared to whatever they had at home. They hurried out of the Hall with two plates and two jugs of yak milk, Hiccup having convinced her of his 'no alcohol when you might still need to fly'-rule, making their way towards Berk's forest.

When they were far enough from the rest of Berk, Hiccup was the first to speak up. "Well, of all the things I expected I had to deal with tonight, Tuffnut trying to flirt with me was not one of them."

"You called me your wife."

"Not that it would ever work between us, we don't match like that at all."

"You. Called. Me. Your. Wife."

"And what was he trying to do with his hair, tying it together like that? Was it supposed to look like a beard?  _Can_ he even grow a beard? That could be quite the bonding material, if he can't, and I can only do half."

She socked his upper arm, making him spill some of his milk into the grass. "Hiccup!"

"Sssh! Not that loud!" He looked at her while continuing their trek through the woods. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"You called me your wife," she repeated for the third time.

"I thought we were pretending that you didn't speak Norse, but I'll forgive you for breaking character," Hiccup quipped, sitting down in an open spot he seemed to be content with and moved up his visor, revealing a grin. "Yes, I did."

"You can't just… do that!" she groaned, agitatedly sitting down next to him. "And then the whole thing with the baby too."

"Well that was obviously a lie, too." He frowned playfully. "Unless you have something to tell me about the baby-part, of course."

"Gods no." She rolled her eyes, moving up her mask so she could eat. "Still, you couldn't think of something else?"

"It was convincing, which was the most important thing. I just wanted to get us out of there as soon as possible," Hiccup explained. He picked up one of his lamb chops, digging his teeth into it. "And it's not like pretending to be married to me is the worst thing in the world, right?"

She looked away from him, his candid question making her blush slightly. "I suppose not."

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't discuss it with you first," Hiccup continued, his voice softer. "But I had to improvise and keep you from talking altogether if I could. Tuffnut would've recognized your voice for sure." He looked at her, his emerald eyes soft and sweet. "I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"At least I now know what lie we'll be telling the rest of the night," she smiled. "Or well, what lie you'll be telling."

"Let's hope I don't need to do it again," Hiccup remarked as he took another bite, continuing with his mouth stuffed. "The food alone makes it all worth it though."

Redirecting her attention to the hot plate in front of her, she finally dug in, instantly agreeing with Hiccup wholeheartedly. Compared to her diet of the past seven and a half months, every piece of this was absolutely divine, from the vegetables, to the meat, to the slightly peculiar but still delicious seabass with a crust of salt.

They continued to eat in relative silence, both of them keeping an eye on potential eavesdroppers, keeping their voices low when they did talk. After finishing their dinner, they shared a few kisses, getting a good taste of what the other had eaten, before heading back to the village themselves, their disguises put back in place. They had said they'd dance, after all, and one unlucky encounter with an overly curious Thorston twin wasn't going to make her break her word.

They climbed the stairs back up to the Great Hall, the warm atmosphere welcoming them back in. This time around, they instantly made their way to the middle of it instead of sticking around to fall prey to Tuffnut, even though she didn't spot the male twin anywhere.

Most of the tables that could usually be found in the Great Hall had been moved outside or towards the walls, creating ample room in the middle of it for dancing, around the Hall's central fireplace. They paused at the edge of the dance floor, which was filled with Vikings, with a lot of onlookers clapping along from their seats at the tables or from the crowd gathered at the edge. The musicians could be found on the other end of the Hall, but were briefly blocked from view when Gobber danced by, twirling around wildly while he attempted to hold the mask he'd mounted on his prosthetic in front of his face, but hardly succeeded. She couldn't help but smile, and when she took a glance at Hiccup, she found the same sense of amusement in his eyes.

Walking along the edge of the gathered crowd, Hiccup following her closely, she finally got a good look at the two people tonight was all about. Ruffnut and Snotlout could be found on the far end of the hall, at the centre of the big table which was put just in front of the Chief's throne, which was left empty for the occasion. Instead, Stoick the Vast himself was sitting with his arms crossed on a chair further towards the side of the table, separated from the bride and groom by their family members, including an incredibly smug-looking Spitelout Jorgenson.

The Chief of Berk had not dressed up at all, instead observing the crowd closely while the young, red-haired man she recognized from his yearly visits as Dagur the Deranged, Berserker Chief, was talking to him, rather than with him. Nevertheless, Dagur looked thoroughly relaxed, dressed in a combination of black and silver, featuring various designs, including a giant Berserker Skrill. His face tattoos emerged from under a small, black mask, covering nothing more than his eyebrows down to his cheekbones. He seemed to be enjoying himself, lying back in his chair with his black boots propped up on the table.

On the other end of the table, tactically positioned as far away from Stoick the Vast as was respectfully possible, was the man she had to identify as Alvin the Treacherous. She had never seen the Outcast Chief herself, given that he and Stoick refused to communicate by anything but letters, but the description she'd asked Hiccup to give her had been pretty on point. She couldn't tell if the man had attempted to dress up or whether his menacing eyebrows and unkept beard were part of his usual attire, but he seemed to be content enough with the contents of his enormous drinking horn.

There were a few more seats at the Chief's Table, both filled and empty, which belonged to chiefs of minor islands, whose exact names she didn't know, but her attention was inadvertently drawn back to the bride and groom. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Snotlout and Ruffnut this delighted, and felt her own lips involuntarily curl up at the sight. They were still eating, Snotlout standing up with his arm wrapped around Ruffnut's shoulders, who occasionally had to dodge one of the massive, preposterous curled horns her now-husband had mounted on his helmet. Along with that, the groom was wearing a massive black bear fur as a cape, tied together with a large golden chain. He was dressed in dark red apart from that, a large golden belt with what she laughingly identified as an engraving of Snotlout's own face wrapped around his waist.

Ruffnut looked prettier than Astrid had ever seen her before. Her light blonde braids had been untangled for the occasion, her long hair flowing over her shoulders down her back, topped off by a gorgeous silver bridal crown she unfortunately couldn't see the details of from this distance. Her long, beautiful dress was the same shade of red as Snotlout's outfit, topped off with some beautiful golden pieces of jewellery.

They looked happy, both of them gazing at each other with huge smiles on their faces, as if they didn't have a single doubt about marrying each other. It brought tears to her eyes, seeing her friends like this, this happy, this delighted, especially because it had been such a long time. Impulsively, she pulled Hiccup into a hug, holding him tight in an attempt to thank him for being there with her, so she could see this.

The bottom of Hiccup's helmet pressed into her hood when he hugged her back, his hands soothingly rubbing circles on her lower back as he held her close. She looked at him to see if he was having any problems with seeing all these people again, but found nothing but his love for her shining through in them instead. She knew he was smiling at her from behind the cover of his helmet, so she simply smiled back at him, the moment breaking when the music stopped and Hiccup leant forward to get closer to her ear.

"Did you still want to dance, milady?"

She looked at him, surprised, remembering all the reluctant and anything-but-enthusiastic comments he'd thrown her way whenever she'd mentioned them dancing before. Now however, she just found Hiccup's eyes looking kindly into hers, the little glint in them telling her he was still smiling. She nodded excitedly, letting him take both of her hands in his as he pulled her onto the dance floor, the opening tunes of the next song echoing through the hall.

Rarely any of the dancing Vikings did involved the couples on the dance floor solely focusing on each other, and this particular one was no exception. They quickly found two couples looking for a third to finish off the required formation of six people, none of whom she recognized, figuring that behind their costumes, they were either not from Berk or people she hardly knew. She gave Hiccup a reassuring nod when she handed her left hand to the foreign man next to her, watching Hiccup intertwine his gloved fingers with the woman next to him, forming the circle that started the all-too-familiar dance. They were doing this. And she was going to enjoy every second of it.

Ever since she'd decided that dancing was just another skill she had to master, she had studied and memorized every single step involved in their traditional folk dances. It was an integral part of their lives after all, and while she'd often pass up on the more disorganised improvising people did during Snoggletog, the structured, predictable and nevertheless incredibly fun songs that were played at weddings fit her like a glove. And from a young age, she'd taken every opportunity to practice them, grabbing whatever boy or girl was enthusiastic and skilled enough to join her.

Hiccup Haddock had never been one of those dance partners. His father had made sure he knew his tribe's traditions, but as a kid, he had never joined in unless he had to, so her younger counterpart had always assumed it had to be because he was bad at it. Hence, she'd never asked him to dance with her, settling for Tuffnut, Fishlegs or even Snotlout, as Hiccup simply didn't meet her criteria. But right now she found that even if he was bad at it – which he most definitely wasn't – it didn't matter to her at all. There was something incredibly exhilarating about doing this with him, her heart filling with joy whenever their hands, arms or feet touched to match the music. His bright pair of green eyes became her anchor, her sole point of focus within the twirling mass of colours, both as dark as the decorative tapestries that hung from the wall and as bright as the burning fire in the middle of the room. All of it faded in comparison to him.

Her lips curled up into a smile without her noticing, staying in that position as the songs blended together, the two of them dancing with numerous couples from all over the Archipelago, some of which included people she actually recognized. But they never seemed to pay her any mind, leaving her to focus on the central person in her universe, whose eyes were telling her he was smiling back at her with the same amount of glee.

He continued to beam at her like that when they broke apart, Astrid getting in line with the women on one side of the floor while Hiccup moved to stand directly opposite of her and join the row of men on the other, the whole room cheering and clamouring enthusiastically when the first tunes of one of the biggest group dances were played. Hiccup was clapping along with just as much excitement, stomping his left foot on the ground along with the rhythm, as if he was as much one of them as the two Viking men on either side of him. And tonight, she couldn't help but feel like he belonged here as much as she did, as everyone else did. Deep down, they were still his people.

They yelled and clapped even louder when Ruffnut and Snotlout appeared at the head of the group of what were easily one hundred not-so-sober Vikings. The bride and groom grabbed each other's hands and started off the dance by spinning around, their joined hands forming the centre of their movement. They broke apart after a few twirls, both of them seeking out the first Viking of the opposite gender, hooking their elbow with theirs to spin around once before moving back towards the middle to do the same with their partner.

Astrid watched and clapped as her old friends continued to make their way down the line, until they were far enough from the front for the next couple to copy them, gradually turning the dance floor into the disorganized, drunken mess that made this particular dance one of the highlights of every Viking wedding. She giddily waited for the bride and groom to reach them, giving Snotlout the swing of his life when he hooked her elbow into hers. She smiled at him when she returned him to Ruffnut, her eyes meeting Hiccup's as he released the female Thorston twin. He winked at her, giving her the reassurance that they were still doing absolutely fine.

After a couple was done, they went to stand at the end of the rows, leaving room for the others to shift towards the front of the room. More and more couples danced by, until finally, it was time for Hiccup and she to approach each other for all of the Great Hall to see. Hiccup briefly pointed at her hood and she nodded back, ensuring him that it wouldn't slide off. Then, they grabbed each other's hands, crossing their grips to give them a little more stability. They counted down the beats until it was the right time for them to move, spinning each other around before giving themselves to the rest of the Archipelago.

Their turn to dance down the line went by in a blur, as it always did, and she could hardly keep track of who exactly she locked arms with and who she didn't. First there was someone from Outcast Island, then back to Hiccup. A Berserker, back to Hiccup. Gobber, back to Hiccup. A few more people she didn't know, but every time back again to Hiccup. Silent Sven, back to Hiccup. Dagur the Deranged, back to Hiccup. Gustav, who was still wearing the ridiculous white sheet and who held on to her just longer than appropriate, resulting in him being on the receiving end of one of the iciest glares she'd ever seen her boyfriend give anyone. Snotlout followed, Tuffnut too, and more men she knew from Berk, spinning her around once before they respectfully returned her to the man she loved.

And none of them seemed to have any clue as to who she actually was, allowing her to smile and laugh fully until she eventually reached the end of the line. It seemed like indeed, blending in and fully participating was the best way to prevent them from standing out. And of course, the large amounts of mead and ale helped a lot.

She fell into Hiccup's arms when the music stopped, her head spinning from her own giggling and the endless twirling they had just gone through. She could hear Hiccup chuckle as well, holding her close while the rest of the group broke apart, the musicians giving everyone a short break to get more ale or regain their breath.

She looked up at him, finding his eyes full of elation and joy, a carelessness and a sense of freedom within them that she didn't see often at all. Even though she could only see his eyes, Hiccup looked unbothered, not as worried or guarded as he usually was, a lightness to his expression that brightened up each and every part of him. He looked happy. In a place in which she'd always thought, and he'd always said, he could never feel that way. Not anymore.

They didn't exchange any words, just looking at each other until Hiccup lowered his head to her ear when the musicians prepared themselves to start playing again. "You should go grab that lady over there." He nodded at the crowd gathered closest to the entrance of the hall, watching the dance floor.

"Which one?" she whispered as softly as she could, making sure no one had heard her.

"The one with the hood and the black braid over her shoulder."

She surveyed the crowd, eventually finding the woman Hiccup was talking about. She was dressed in a dark set of commoner's clothes, hardly anything fancy there to meet the eye. A grey-ish hood was pulled up over her head, a piece of cloth covering the bottom half of her face, leaving nothing visible except for a glimpse of her eyes and a raven braid reaching all the way down to her waist.

"Why?" she frowned.

"Just trust me. You'll see," Hiccup insisted, a naughty glint crossing his eyes.

She rolled her eyes at him, but walked towards the crowd anyways, her curiosity getting the better of her. Confidently, she approached the woman, who looked to be about the same age she was. She stretched out her hand to her, the stranger looking up at her with surprise, her green eyes – pretty, but not as gorgeous as Hiccup's – meeting her own blue ones.

She nodded towards the dance floor, then at her hand, encouraging the other girl to take it. She could see her deliberate, so she nodded once more when the first tunes of the next song – one to be danced in groups of four, she recognized – started playing. Finally, the other girl took her hand, letting Astrid drag her to the middle of the room, back to Hiccup.

Astrid was surprised to find Hiccup with a new partner as well, a larger Viking dressed in a black robe with long, wide sleeves and a hood that concealed most of his face. He seemed even less excited than the girl she'd brought however, Hiccup pushing and nudging him forward, the man's feet reluctant to move. Eventually, after a lot of effort on Hiccup's end, the four of them reached each other, and she almost gasped out loud when she could look beneath the hood of Hiccup's companion. It was Fishlegs. She'd been wondering where he was tonight, but been too focused on Hiccup and not being found out to actively look for him.

Hiccup winked at her, taking a polite bow towards the two women, prompting Fishlegs to do the same. He put one of his hands between Fishlegs' shoulders, taking the unknown woman's hand from Astrid with the other and moved the two towards each other. Astrid watched how Fishlegs reluctantly took the girl's hand, an apologetic smile on his face, but the girl didn't seem to mind at all, pulling down her mask to smile back at her new dance partner.

Hiccup took Astrid's own hands afterwards, casually leading them through the first steps of the song, which involved the couples dancing with just the two of them before pairing up with another couple. She leant in towards Hiccup, still eyeing Fishlegs and his mystery girl. "Who is she?"

"No idea," Hiccup whispered back at her. "But Fishlegs had been staring at her for so long, he was practically drooling."

"Really?" She hadn't seen that at all. Then again, she hadn't even seen Fishlegs to begin with.

"Totally. I know the look. Fifteen-year-old me gave you that one all the time. So I figured I'd help him out."

"You're such a romantic," she giggled, deeply regretting that she couldn't kiss him right then and there, the steps forcing them apart and their masks forming a permanent barrier.

"You made me go soft," he told her when they moved together again.

She smiled at him. "It suits you." She'd gladly have him show the rest of the world just how much of a sweetheart he was.

Hiccup's eyes turned warmer, nodding at her before turning the two of them towards Fishlegs and his girl, their next dance steps putting an end to their conversation. They continued dancing after that, eventually losing sight of the other couple when their groups changed composition, although she was pretty sure she saw Fishlegs move towards the two big doors of the Great Hall at one point – with company. She was happy for him; they looked like they'd been having a good time dancing, and she hoped they could connect beyond that too. Or that if they didn't, that they'd at least have a good time tonight.

She'd expected herself to be tired already, or severely dehydrated, given how long she'd been dancing with Hiccup, but there was something about dancing with him specifically that gave her a tremendous amount of energy, wishing it would never end. Eventually however, they slowed down, her heart skipping a beat when the opening tunes of one particular song were played.

"Do you know this one?" she asked her dance partner. She herself knew it all too well; she'd watched others perform it many times before, but had never done it herself. It was an intimate song, one that couples danced just with each other, reserved for lovers only. But Hiccup and she hadn't practiced it.

From the corner of her eye, she saw several people scuttle off towards the side, while other couples hugged each other, including Snotlout and Ruffnut. Hiccup too put his hands on her shoulders, letting them slide down until her hands were once again in his. "I do," he nodded, laughing softly afterwards. "I'm quite a terrible singer though."

"So am I," she whispered, her stomach filling itself with butterflies as Hiccup looked over her shoulder, positioning them a bit further from the rest of the crowd. Tradition required that couples sang the lyrics of the song to each other, and he seemed to have every intention to honour that, giving them the necessary privacy.

She watched Hiccup take a deep breath, taking a step away from her and lifting his arm, tucking his other arm behind his back. She copied him, their forearms touching as they started moving, the first lines leaving Hiccup's mouth exactly in time with the music.

"I'll swim and sail on savage seas,

With never a fear of drowning,

And gladly ride the waves of life,

If you would marry me."

His eyes kindly gazed into hers, filling her with warmth before he continued.

"No scorching sun,

Nor freezing cold,

Will stop me on my journey,

If you will promise me your heart…"

He looked at her expectedly, and she completed the line with utter confidence. "And love me for eternity."

Hiccup beamed at her, his emerald eyes shining brightly when she continued with the ladies' part of the song, the pace of the music picking up.

"My dearest one, my darling dear,

Your mighty words astound me.

But I've no need of mighty deeds,

When I feel your arms around me."

Every word of it was true, the lyrics resonating with all she felt for the man currently standing in front of her, who sang his next lyrics with just as much conviction.

"But I would bring you rings of gold,

I'd even sing you poetry.

And I would keep you from all harm,

If you would stay beside me."

Hiccup twirled her around, pulling her into his chest, making her angle her head towards him when she responded.

"I have no use for rings of gold,

I care not for your poetry.

I only want your hand to hold."

Hiccup turned her back around, letting her put her arms around his neck while his enveloped her waist as he sang the next line. "I only want you near me."

They spun around like that, enthusiastically singing the final two verses in unison.

"To love and kiss, to sweetly hold,

For the dancing and the dreaming.

Through all life's sorrows and delights,

I'll keep your laugh inside me.

I'll swim and sail on savage seas,

With never a fear of drowning.

And gladly ride the waves of life,

If you will marry me!"

Hiccup confidently lifted her off her feet during the last line, laughingly spinning the two of them around while she secured her legs around his hips. He put her back down when the final notes died out and she collapsed into his chest, hugging him with all she had, her heart beating with joy.

Hiccup released her slightly, his eyes delving into hers with an intensity she'd hardly ever seen before. They locked her in place, drowning her in endless fields and forests of beautiful green, full of Hiccup and her love for him as he softly whispered her name. "Astrid."

His voice sounded hoarse, a tremble in it that made her heart speed up. He leant in slightly, moving his head as close to her ear as he could without pulling off her hood. What followed was a whisper, made up of two words; lyrics from the song, reformed into a plea.

"Marry me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whistles* Been a while without cliffhangers, hasn't it?
> 
> The big group dance they did is based on the Scottish ceilidh dance 'Strip the Willow' (the Orcadian version). If you'd like to get a better idea, feel free to Google it! I have once had the pleasure of dancing it myself while I was in Scotland and it's such fun.
> 
> See you guys next chapter! I'm not exactly sure when it'll be up (as you guys can see, my schedule is a bit messed up), but I intend to go back to posting every week, so it'll be one week from now at the latest! 
> 
> I'd once again like to remind you guys of the community HTTYD Discord server I am a part of, where all of you are welcome to join to come and talk HTTYD, Phantom, and anything else! [Discord link](http://discord.gg/xVuZfK2)  
> 


	34. Masquerade - Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After last week's cliffhanger, we're back! I'll just leave you guys to it ;)
> 
> ~This chapter contains NSFW content~

_Masquerade!_

_Paper faces on parade_

_Masquerade!_

_Hide your face, so the world will never find you_

**Masquerade – Part Two**

"Marry me."

The words echoed through Astrid's head, as sweet and soft as Hiccup had whispered them, the phrase rolling off his silver tongue as if it was the most natural thing for him to say.

All  _she_  could do on the other hand was gasp, her mouth awkwardly hanging open as she tried to form a response to the words her brain couldn't seem to process. "What?"

Hiccup laughed softly, his head still hovering close to her ear, making it impossible for her to read his expression. "I asked you to marry me."

"Now?" she tried, in an attempt to give Hiccup a response that made sense.

"No, silly," her boyfriend – boyfriend, right? – chuckled. "Just, sometime."

She blinked twice, her arms going limp at her sides. "Hiccup, I – we –  _wow_."

Hiccup leant back, taking her in with an amused expression. "Well, at least that's not a 'no'."

She looked at him, her eyes wide. "I don't know what to say, I'm just…  _overwhelmed_." Yes, that was the right word for it. Good job, brain.

"Guess I should've expected that," Hiccup shrugged, seemingly a lot more relaxed about the whole situation than she could ever be. He grabbed one of her hands and cocked his head towards the door. "Shall we go outside?"

She nodded, letting Hiccup drag her off the dance floor, through the crowd and out of the Great Hall. In the time they'd spent inside, the sun had sunk back into the sea, nothing but a thin line of orange still visible on the horizon, the moon shining brightly above them.

She took a deep breath, the cool night air giving her some much-needed clarity as Hiccup led her down the stairs, back into Berk's woods.  _He'd asked her to marry him_. To make it official, her being his one and only, Astrid Haddock, no longer Hofferson, his wife, the intended mother of his children, the one he would spend the rest of his life with. Could she say yes to that? Already? There was still so much going on, it was hardly the right time, who would even marry them, how does that work for two people who are presumed dead? And, most importantly, did she want to marry him?

Her mind continued to spin, darkness surrounding them as they got further into the woods, although there was luckily still enough light for her to make out the shapes of the trees, and Hiccup in front of her. Eventually, he stopped, seemingly content with the distance they gained on potential onlookers, and moved up his visor. He was smiling, still, his eyes seeming to shine so bright they formed a source of light all on their own.

"Look, Astrid," he started, closing his eyes as his grin widened. "I know it seems so sudden, out of the blue, and absolutely crazy for me to ask you to marry me, but really, to me, it's not that at all, I – Gods, how do I explain this properly." He bit his lower lip, throwing his head back and trying to bury his hand in his hair, only to be thwarted by his helmet. "I am alone a lot and when I'm out here, with Toothless, not wreaking havoc in some Viking village, I think about stuff. Lots of stuff. You, quite often."

He kicked the ground at his feet, gazing at the forest around them. "In my head, I try to get away from the current situation, the war, everything I have to do, everything I  _need_ to do. Because I have no choice but to fight. This, the dragons, it's a responsibility I can't run away from. But I like to think about what I'd  _like_  to do, that if the world wasn't as corrupted and fucked up as it is, what I'd  _want_ to do with my life. And ever since I met you, since I've first had the chance to kiss you, to love you, what I want is, just… to be with you."

He took a step closer to her, reaching out, and she let him take her hands in his. "What I told Tuffnut tonight, sure, it was mainly meant to be a believable lie, but the picture I painted, that…" He shrugged. "That's my dream, really."

Hiccup's hands wandered up her arms, softly rubbing her shoulders. He winced, closing his eyes, his face scrunching when he spoke up again. "I don't need all of this, this  _shit_. Fighting Vikings every day, knowing I have to – we have to – face down against the biggest dragon I have ever seen very soon, to bring even a sliver of peace to this damned Archipelago. And even if we manage to kill her, I'm afraid that after that dragons will still not be safe  _everywhere_ unless there's someone –" He released her, gesturing to himself. "– intervening."

"But Gods, I'd be just as happy – no,  _happier_ – settling down and living out the rest of my days on an island far away from all that. Building an actual house to live in with you, Toothless, Stormfly, and whatever other dragons like to stick around. No war, no fighting, no Phantom, just  _us_." He smiled, just one of the corners of his mouth curling up as he closed his eyes. "And I know I'm getting ahead of myself here, but who knows, maybe one day, eventually, a baby could come into that picture too. A pretty little girl with her mother's blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, or a boy who's unlucky enough to take after his dad. Or anything in between, I don't care, I'd love them regardless."

She could immediately see the picture he was painting, this dream he was relaying to her. An actual house, with enough space for their beloved companions, the whole island a frequent stop for any dragon, who they'd take care of with as much love as they took care of their own.

A quiet life, just the two of them, until the forests and fields surrounding their home would eventually be filled with the laughter of a child, or more than one, taking a ride on the strong shoulders of their father, who loved them with all his heart. And who she would undoubtedly repeatedly have to tell that no, the kids were not old enough to learn how to ride a dragon yet.

Falling asleep next to Hiccup every night for the rest of her life, in a big bed that their children could join them in in the morning, not a worry on their mind but what they would spend their time on in the day ahead.

She had never been someone who thought about settling down, leading a domestic life. It had always seemed too dull, too uneventful, too… unlike her. But the dream Hiccup had, this vision for a distant future; it filled her with warmth and joy, and even though she'd only been introduced to it not even a minute ago, she found herself wishing for it with all her heart.

"It's beautiful," she told him, swiftly wiping away one of the tears that had formed in the corner of her eye. "And just for the record, a boy who'd be a lot like you wouldn't be unlucky at all."

She didn't think Hiccup could look any happier than he already did, but somehow, his grin widened even more. He rushed forward, his gloved hands landing on her neck, his thumbs softly caressing the skin underneath her mask.

He frowned for a brief moment, touching the fabric. "Can I take it off? As much as I love your eyes, I'd really like to see your face."

She pulled off her hood, moving her mask up and letting it fall back into her hood. Hiccup's hands instantly moved up to her cheeks, pulling her closer until their lips met in a kiss. She hummed contently, getting up on her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck, his lips as soft and sweet as they always were.

Hiccup continued to hold her close when they broke apart, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I don't know if we could ever have that," he mumbled. "Because, and I hope you can forgive me for that, I care too much about Toothless and the others to abandon them to be slaughtered."

"Of course I forgive you. I could never do that to the dragons either," she reassured him.

"And I don't know what the future holds. I really don't," Hiccup continued. "But the one thing I do know, with absolute certainty, is that whatever happens tomorrow, and the day after that, the week, the month, the year, the decade, the lifetime… I want nothing more than to go through all of that together with you. Because I love you. More than I ever thought I could."

"I love you too," she simply said, kissing him once more.

"And I know I just spent way too much time gushing yet again," Hiccup chuckled, taking a step away from her and holding her hands when their kiss broke. "So let me ask you something instead. What do  _you_ want? Because that's more important to me than any fantasy I manage to come up with."

"I've never really thought about it," she admitted. She usually lived in the moment, one step at a time.

"That's not true," Hiccup retorted, smiling still. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him smile this undisrupted, and this brightly. "The night I kissed you in the arena, you talked about how you'd like to learn to fly, to travel, to find out if my stories are true. To see it all for yourself."

"Oh, yeah, I did," she recalled. That thought would come back to her whenever Hiccup told her about yet another place he'd been to, shared yet another story. But she would usually just shove it away. She had other things to focus on, after all, and as wonderful as it all sounded, she could never imagine leaving Hiccup and the dragons behind.

"Is that still what you want, or?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't know. You know how much I love your stories, and gods, I'd love to travel, still, but…" She looked at him, his kind eyes fixated on hers. "Not without you."

"Then we'll go together," Hiccup stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She frowned. "But then what about the dragons?"

"We'll save all of those first," Hiccup grinned.

"Surely it can't be that simple," she laughed.

"It might take a lot of time, but in the end it really is that simple," Hiccup retorted. "Kill the Red Death, save what dragons might still need to be saved after that, travel the world, and when we find a place we like, we just stay there."

"Together," she nodded, mirroring Hiccup's smile.

"That's the plan."

"It sounds like a great one." She softly cupped his cheek, gazing into his eyes. He looked so elated to be discussing their future, his eyes shining, that he was almost ecstatic, the lines of his scars fading beneath his excitement. She couldn't imagine not seeing that smile every day for the rest of her life. She wanted to wake up next to it, kiss it off Hiccup's handsome face. Make love to him, laugh with him, share everything she had with him. The longer she thought about it, the more her mind became accustomed to the idea, the more it became crystal clear to her. It was really only a matter of time.

And a matter of Berk.

"Hiccup, I…" she started. She smiled to herself. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I can't imagine spending it with anyone else but you. Or without you." She shrugged, feeling like she should apologize for something, even though that didn't make any sense. "I just love you too much."

Hiccup beamed and was about to speak up, but she stopped him. "And now that I think about it, I think that yes, I would want to marry you. I don't think now is the time though, the Red Death needs to die first, and…" She took a deep breath. "If we do get married, I'd really like to do that properly."

"Properly how?"

"The Viking way." She'd expected Hiccup to frown, but he just nodded, waiting for her to continue. "That you go talk to my dad, and make all the necessary arrangements."

"I wouldn't exactly be able to tell him that we didn't do anything  _indecent_  before the wedding though," Hiccup quipped, taking her suggestion surprisingly well.

"I think he'll be able to figure that out without you telling him, babe." The thought of Hiccup and  _her father_ discussing what they'd been up to was mortifying. "But even if we never go back to Berk for good, because I know that's likely the last thing you would want, I want my parents to know I'm alive, and what actually happened. The Red Death has to be dead first, so the raids will be over and they can hopefully look at dragons more neutrally, but I still want to tell them the truth." She softly caressed the scars on his cheek. "And I think it would be the right time for people to find out where you've  _really_ been as well."

"Alright," Hiccup nodded.

She gaped at him. "Wait, just like that?"

"Yeah," he simply shrugged.

"Who are you and what have you done to Hiccup?"

Hiccup laughed, shaking his head. "I'm just, I don't know, happy, I guess?" He bit his lower lip, grinning at her. "Look, Astrid, if talking to your parents and telling the truth to Berk is the final challenge I will have to beat to have you with me for the rest of my life… Then whatever trouble will come from that, or however much I may hate doing it, it will be worth it."

Something crossed his face, his expression turning unreadable for a second. "And perhaps –" He burst out in a giggle, holding his own stomach as he continued to laugh. She swore she could see a tear in the corner of his eye when he tried to compose himself.

He shook his head. "Gods, I can't believe I'm saying this!" He took a deep breath, finally recollecting himself, and looked straight at her. "Perhaps you were right."

She pulled up an eyebrow. "Right about what?"

"Me needing a different angle. I hate to admit it, but…" He bit his lower lip, wincing. "I actually had a good time tonight. Which was of course mainly because of you, and being with you, but somewhere, I don't know, I just got that this feeling that maybe…"

"You might still be one of us after all," she murmured. "I saw it too. You looked really happy. Like you belonged."

" _Maybe_ , yeah," Hiccup stressed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I still don't think it's for real, and the things I've done, it's… You know how Vikings are, even if we ever manage to convince them of the truth about dragons, some of them will never forgive me. But tonight, the idea of having to deal with that, it just seems a little less… absolutely, excruciatingly terrible, I suppose."

She hugged him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him close. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."

"And you have no idea how happy you make me," Hiccup whispered, hugging her back, squeezing her just tightly enough. They just stood like that for a while; she relished in his warmth, his strong chest rising and falling against her ear, his heart beating somewhere beneath his armour. She never wanted to let go of him ever again.

Yet at one point, Hiccup separated them, putting her hands together and holding them in his own. "I do still kind of need an actual answer, so…" he started. He slowly got on one knee, her hands still firmly held in his, looking up at her with his dorkiest lopsided smile, the look in his eyes ecstatic yet sweet at the same time. "Astrid Hofferson, I love you with all my heart, and I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without you in it. And we can figure out all the details once the time is right, but for now, I just want to ask you one question… Will you marry me?"

This time around, she understood his question clearly. And she had absolutely no doubt about her answer. "Yes."

Hiccup jumped up, kissing her with such force that she almost toppled over. He quickly stabilized her, lifting her off her feet and twirling the two of them around, their kiss turning very sloppy when they started to laugh. Eventually, he put her down, pressing a quick peck against her lips before leaning his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he smiled from ear to ear. "You're going to be my wife."

"And you're going to be my husband," she grinned, unable to stop. It sounded weird, but in another way, also absolutely right. Just like when she'd first kissed Hiccup back in the arena. And she didn't doubt her intuition was just as on-point this time around.

They kissed each other again, better, deeper, giving everything they still had to give to each other. "I have to ask though," she gasped, breaking away from the kiss. "Did you plan to ask me to marry you all along, or?"

"Sometime? Yes. Tonight? Not exactly. Like I told you, marrying you, I've thought about that for such a long time, but always felt it was too early to bring it up. But you didn't seem entirely opposed to the idea after my lie to Tuffnut, and then when we were in the Great Hall, I just…" He gestured at her. "I saw  _you_ , as beautiful as you are tonight, and I kept glancing around the room to make sure no one was looking at us too funny, and way too often, my gaze landed on Ruffnut and Snotlout, of all people. Because I couldn't stop thinking about how I wanted that too. So when  _For the Dancing and the Dreaming_ started, and you actually wanted to dance it with me… I just went with it."

Smiling, she pressed a quick kiss to the tip of his nose. "I know I've said it before tonight, but you're such a romantic. First with Fishlegs, and now this."

"You'll just have to get used to it," Hiccup told her, angling his head for another kiss.

"For the rest of my life," she smiled, inching in closer.

"And mine."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, their lips meeting softly. Their tongues looking for each other, Hiccup softly caressed the curve of her hip, making her arch into him. She pulled him closer, her hands tugging on the few strands of hair she could find beneath his helmet.

She gasped when Hiccup backed her against the nearest tree, their kisses growing hotter, needier, neither of them getting enough of the other. "I love you."

"I love you too," Hiccup mumbled, his voice husky, thoroughly turning her on. Her hands wandered down his back, cupping his firm ass and pulling his hips against hers. Hiccup shivered when they touched, bracing himself against the tree behind her. Even through the hard scales of her skirt, she could feel him rub his erection against her body, alerting her to how much he wanted her. And the growing dampness between her legs was telling her the same.

Knowing they would end up half-naked against a tree or on the cold forest floor within the span of minutes, she made a decision she knew she had to regret. But in that moment, Hiccup's hot mouth wandering down her neck, his hands looking for the hem of her top, it seemed like the most sensible option.

She put her arms on his shoulders, gently pushing him away. Hiccup whined softly, but she spoke up before he could ask her why. "I know this sounds really wrong, but," she panted, her cheeks reddening. "My parents aren't home."

Hiccup looked at her, bewildered, his green irises almost fully consumed by the hungry black of his pupils, his breathing heavy. "Are you suggesting we…?"

"Sneak up to my room? Yes." She felt bad about using her parents' situation for sex, but Gods, she  _needed_  him, to seal the promise they'd just made to each other with more than a quick fuck in the woods.

Hiccup stayed silent for a few seconds, just staring at her, before shaking his head, seemingly snapping himself back to reality. "Alright."

Giddily, she took his hand, intending to drag him back to the village, but Hiccup pulled her back. She looked at him, puzzled, and he smirked, fishing something out of her hood. Her mask. "Looks like someone's not thinking straight."

"Oh shut up," she hissed, snatching the mask from his hands. "I would've noticed that eventually."

Grumbling, she started to tie the leather fabric back around her head, Hiccup taking the strings from her and securing it in place. "I'll just take it as an compliment," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck before pulling her hood over her head.

She turned around to face him. "We good?"

Hiccup knocked down his visor and straightened the pieces of his armour she'd been clawing at a little too hungrily. "Yup."

They hurried through the forest, back towards the village, Hiccup's hand in hers enough to keep her turned on, a shiver of anticipation running all the way up her spine whenever he gently squeezed it. They tried their best to pretend nothing was going on when they reached Berk's streets, making their way through the crowds and its squares as if they weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. Luckily, her house was a bit further away from the village centre, so the crowd had started quite quickly.

Sticking to the shadows, no one seemed to pay them any mind, and they reached her house without any problems, her bedroom window just above their heads, as going through the front door would be a little too obvious.

Hiccup moved to stand against the wall, cupping his hands for her to scoot up. She shook her head at him, laughing. "I used to sneak out of my home almost every night to come to the arena. I think I got this."

"After you then," Hiccup gestured, moving out of the way. Skilfully, she scaled the wooden wall, climbing in through her bedroom window and softly landing on the floor. Hiccup didn't seem to need any help getting up, so she wandered around her dark room, searching for the candle that was usually next to her bed, finding that her room had likely been left completely untouched since she'd last been here herself. Over seven months ago.

She looked for something to light the candle with, but Hiccup was ahead of her, igniting Inferno and briefly touching the candle with the tip of the sword before sheathing it again. It left the two of them to look at each other in nothing but the light from the candle in her hands, which she put down next to her bed, so she could properly gaze around her room. It felt so strange to be here again, with Hiccup by her side, tentatively reaching out to her.

"I'm just going to check downstairs," she excused herself, taking a step away from him. "To see if we're really alone."

"Astrid, if this is too weird, it's fine, really," Hiccup told her, his voice soft. "We can go somewhere else, or just leave it."

"Gods no, I'm not backing down now," she retorted, pulling off his helmet and putting it on the floor so she could kiss him, needing that reassurance. It set her on fire all over again, her lips softly melting with his, his hands roaming her body and slipping beneath her top, the rough leather of his gloves touching the bare skin of her lower back.

She put her finger on his chest when they separated, giving him a cocky smile. "Just strip down and get on my bed, I'll be right back."

Leaving Hiccup in her room, she took the candle and walked down the stairs, the wood creaking beneath her feet with every step. She looked around, taking in the dimly lit features of the house she grew up in. The door to her parents' bedroom in the back was closed, most of the weapons that were usually stacked against the walls gone, the candles on the table almost burnt up, their fireplace untouched. The only sign that anyone still lived here was one of her father's old tunics, hanging over the back of his chair, seemingly not deemed useful enough to accompany them on their trip.

She walked up to it, her hand grazing the rough, wool texture as she briefly considered taking it with her. Her hand dropped to her side as she decided against it, figuring that she'd have no use for it; it was obviously too big for her to wear, and the only thing it could give her was homesickness. She didn't need any of that. They had enough coming for them already, with the Red Death on the horizon.

They. Hiccup and her, both. The man she had just agreed to marry, to spend the rest of her life with, who was patiently waiting for her upstairs, absolutely willing to give her this moment. And who made her wonder whether this house, these walls and whatever laid within them, were still really her home after all. Or if that from today onward, home was wherever Hiccup was. Which it had kind of been for months already. Because she couldn't imagine going anywhere he wasn't.

She decided that the answer to that question would probably become clear with time. Hiccup hadn't forced her to choose after all, between him and Berk, and had promised her long ago that he never would. Even told her that if that was what she wanted, that after the Red Death had been defeated, they could go back to Berk, arrange everything properly, and who knew what would come from that? Perhaps they'd even stay on Berk, repairing what was broken or starting anew, maybe Hiccup would even become Chief after all, after they told people the truth, or it would go badly, and everyone would –

She shrugged off that thought. It wasn't important right now. What mattered was what came straight after tonight, and the night itself. And what she wanted to do tonight, is spend it Hiccup, fucking his brains out and enjoying whatever remained of the party after that.

She loosened her mask, a smile spreading across her face when she removed it, pulling her hood down as she walked back up the stairs. She walked in on Hiccup lying face down on her bed, stark naked on top of the covers, hugging her pillow with his head on top of it. A giggle escaped her as she put down the candle next to her bed and started to undress. "Are you okay, babe?"

"Gods, Astrid, I mean, I know I've been very adamant about us not needing a bed for the past  _months_ , even after that one night on Wingmaiden Island, but I've been lying to myself all along." Hiccup moaned, stretching his muscles. "Valhalla's got nothing on this."

She laughed out loud, removing what remained of her leggings and her undergarments, letting it all drop to the floor. "You're such a dork." He looked at her through half-lidded eyes when she leant forward, pressing a kiss to his cheek and climbing on top of him, one leg on either side of his waist. "But I wouldn't mind getting that as a betrothal gift."

"Huh. That might actually be a pretty good idea," Hiccup blabbered as she pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades, slowly working her way down his spine, letting her hands explore the lines of his firm muscles and the scars littered all over his right side. "I could probably make it myself. I'd just need to find the time. Gather supplies, find the right kind of wood for the frame. I think the pillows we have back home will do the trick, and –"

"Babe," she shushed him, rolling her eyes at his rambling. She scooted down his body and nudged his legs apart so she could sit on her knees between them.

Hiccup lazily complied, moaning softly when she pressed her lips to the base of his spine, her hands feeling up his well-formed ass. His right butt cheek had been unfortunate enough to have been covered in scald wounds as well, but to her, those scars only made him even more interesting, tempting her to trail her nose along the lines as she kissed him there, eventually sinking her teeth into the roughened skin.

Hiccup moaned loudly as she sucked, hissing beneath her touch when she pressed a kiss to the bruise she'd left, knowing that he'd feel it all the way back home and would undoubtedly return the favour to her later. The thought alone set her on fire, and she moved her hands to grip his hips, softly nudging him backwards. "Get up."

Her boyfriend – no,  _betrothed_ , even though it wasn't completely official yet– grumbled slightly as he propped himself up, leaving him on his hands and knees in front of her, his hips pressed flush against the flat of her stomach, courtesy of his beautiful long legs. It was strange to see him like this, at her mercy instead of she at his, but also oddly enticing. Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she softly caressed his thighs, pulling him closer, enjoying the sense of control. Which she knew Hiccup was only letting her have. He was fully capable of, and absolutely loved to take it back whenever he wanted to.

"As incredibly  _hot_  I think it is for our roles to be swapped for once," Hiccup murmured below her, a hint of amusement to his voice that faded beneath the huskiness of it. "I'm afraid you don't have the right  _equipment_  to do  _that_  to me."

Softly trailing her finger down his spine, roughly marking the line where his scars turned into gorgeous freckles, she entertained that idea, wondering how it would be to fuck him like that, instead of him fucking her. Her thoughts wandered to something he'd said earlier that night. "Has anyone ever done that to you?"

"Yes," Hiccup simply told her, a shiver running down his spine when she teasingly pinched his cute butt.

Curious to know more, she reached around him, finding his cock almost fully hard. Hiccup bucked into her hand, his arms slightly giving in when she softly stroked him, her other hand trying to keep him still. "What's that like?"

"I imagine it's not too different from what I do to you," Hiccup managed, his voice hoarse, his body shuddering against hers when she continued to pump him.

She raked her nails down his back. "Does it feel good?"

"Oh, yes, absolutely," he reassured her, his voice breaking into a needy moan.

"Was that part of your job too, or?" He never talked about his experiences in Constantinople, and she never asked, not particularly fond of the thought of Hiccup having sex with as many women as he had. But the thought of him with another man, taking it instead of dealing it, reduced to a mumbling and moaning mess by being on the receiving end for once…  _That_ was something she could live with, making her breath catch in her throat.

"Hardly," Hiccup confirmed, groaning loudly when she increased the rhythm, his hips rocking against hers with such force that she could hardly keep him in place.

"Too bad you'll have to miss that from now on," she smirked, releasing him and nudging him to flip around. He whined as her hand left him, but complied quickly, turning on his back and holding her arms out for her to crawl into. She climbed on top of him and pressed a kiss to his cheek, rubbing her own arousal over his throbbing erection. "Since you agreed to marry me."

"I don't regret that at all," Hiccup told her when he pulled her down towards him, their lips meeting in a longing, passionate kiss. The scars of his right hand caressed her back, his other hand cupping her breast, making her moan against his lips as he teased her nipple with his thumb. "I said it was good, but it doesn't compare to you. You're bloody  _amazing_."

"I love you," she panted, still rubbing herself against him, the tip of his cock sliding against her clit and sending jolts of pleasure through her body.

"I want you," Hiccup told her, his hips moving along with hers. " _Fuck_ , Astrid, I need you."

Trying to catch her breath, but failing miserably when Hiccup squeezed her breast, she sat up, her hand fumbling for Hiccup's erection. She guided him towards her centre, shivering pleasantly when she sank down on him, slowly taking more of him inside her, feeling his heat fill her all the way until they were pressed flush against each other, Hiccup's hips impatiently bucking up against hers. His eyes had almost completely blackened, filled with lust and desire, urging her to move without uttering a single word.

She braced her hands on Hiccup's shoulders, his muscles flexing beneath his skin as she slowly started to move, the both of them moaning in unison because  _Gods_ , even though it couldn't have been more than a week, it had been way too long.

Hiccup's hands instinctively reached up to trace the curve of her hips, his own thrusting up to meet hers with every stroke. His nimble fingers slowly wandered up, caressing her waist and tempting her to lean forward, needing more of his touch, his large, skilful hands all over her.

One of his hands reached for her braid, wrapping her blonde strands around it and tugging her closer with just enough force to show her that her being on top didn't mean he was completely handing the reins over to her. She adored that challenge, wrapping one arm around his shoulders and forcing him to sit up slightly, their lips meeting as she continued to ride him, Hiccup's elbow on her mattress and the hand still in her hair keeping them anchored to each other.

Their kisses turned wet and sloppy, their tongues eagerly searching for each other yet continuously forced apart by their moans as the tension kept building. The room around them heated up as her hips came down on Hiccup's over and over, her scalp starting to feel sore as he continued to passionately tug on her hair. Eventually, his hand wandered to her neck, tracing a line to the front of her face before breaking the kiss, his hand closing over her mouth and his long fingers spreading across her cheek.

"As much as I like to make you  _scream_ ," he told her, a smirk on his face as he leant back down, the hand that was previously keeping them up teasing her nipple before wandering down her stomach. She cried when he softly rubbed his fingers over her clit, the sound muffled by his palm against her lips. "I don't think we need all of Berk to hear us."

She frowned at him in frustration, his smirk only widening in response. He continued to rub slow circles over her clit, softly pressing down on it in time with her own movements, pleasure building as she tried her best to power on and not lose her senses. She braced her hands against the headboard, increasing the pace, looking for more, aching to reach her climax as she struggled to breathe properly, all too aware of Hiccup's eyes following her every move, measuring her every reaction, a mix of that naughty glint she loved so much and yet also this pure, unconditional love for her in his eyes. This man, arousing her with his look alone. That was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Who she would marry.

That thought, that realization resonating deep within her was enough to make her fall apart, her muscles clenching around Hiccup's cock as she came, her vision turning white as she collapsed on top of her betrothed.

Hiccup released her mouth, wrapping his arms around her instead, holding her close. She buried her head in the crook of his neck, panting loudly as she struggled to keep moving her hips to draw out the sensation, her orgasm to its absolute high.

"You're going to be my husband," she heaved, feeling like she was only now realizing it properly.

"Astrid,  _I'm close_ ," Hiccup urged her, his hands squeezing her just a little too tightly, her bliss leaving her oblivious to how his control was also slipping away as she continued to ride him. She yelped when he grabbed her hips, forcibly separating them right before he came all over both of them.

Recollecting herself, she rolled to the side of him, watching Hiccup's chest rise and fall as he tried to regain his breath, his eyes closed in bliss. A few sweaty locks of his hair clung to his forehead, the stickiness on her stomach alerting her to just how close they'd been to slipping up.

"I'm sorry," she managed, her voice still hoarse.

Hiccup turned his head to the side, looking at her through half-lidded eyes, a heady apology within them. "I didn't see that coming."

"What?"

Hiccup wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest and kissing the top of her head. "You calling me your husband."

"Husband-to-be," she corrected him, hugging him back, his embrace warm and comforting.

He only hugged her tighter, a deep sigh leaving him and tickling her skin. "And you will be my wife."

"Only yours," she whispered, looking up at him and burying her hand in his gorgeous hair, his auburn locks warm and soft between her fingers. "Forever."

His green eyes melted into hers and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Always."

His lips trailed down the side of her face, kissing her eyebrow, her cheek and the corner of her mouth until their lips found each other again. It was a slow kiss, their tongues lazily meeting as their limbs intertwined, their touches soft, caressing and sweet, their lips only separating to whisper 'I love you' and numerous other sweet nothings.

Eventually, their kisses slowed, the two of them just holding each other as time passed, enjoying their bliss, the cold slowly replacing the scent and heat of sex in her room, giving her goosebumps and making her shiver pleasantly. For a moment, she considered just letting herself fall asleep right there, curled up and completely at home in Hiccup's arms. It took every bit of her resolve and repeating to herself for minutes that they'd have the rest of their lives for this – which wasn't exactly helping – to gather the energy to break their peaceful silence.

"I think we should get going," she croaked, her voice unstable.

Hiccup only hugged her tighter, his arms comfortably wrapped around her shoulders and waist. "I'm good, thanks."

" _Hiccup_ ," she laughed, scolding him. "The speeches should be soon, and I don't want to miss those."

"I can give you a speech?" Hiccup proposed, cocking his head at her as he watched her with only one eye opened.

She rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

Hiccup turned them over, his body hovering over hers as he gave her a lopsided smile. "I'll make it about how much I love you?"

"You can surprise me with that some other time," she told him, pressing a quick peck to his lips and pushing him off her.

"We're not even married yet and you're already bossing me around," Hiccup teased, stretching his muscles with a loud moan and sitting up so she could get to her feet.

"Hey, _you_  asked me to marry you," she laughed, standing up, wiping herself off with an old rag and passing it to Hiccup before picking her clothes up from the floor. "And you know I would've bossed you around anyways."

"Guess it's an occupational hazard," Hiccup shrugged, getting on his knees and catching her wrist, pulling her down into another kiss.

She hummed against his lips, letting his hands wander for just a bit before breaking away from him again. "Poor you."

Hiccup rolled his eyes at her, finally getting up from the bed and straightening the covers before getting dressed again himself, giving her another good look at his gorgeous ass – and the mark she'd left on it. Her eyes continued to survey the room while she put on her leggings, landing on one of the chests in the corners, which she  _really_  hoped had been left untouched ever since she'd left Berk.

Still only half-dressed, she opened it, digging through its contents – mostly clothes, some old weapons that had served her too well to throw away, and several other meaningless belongings – until she reached the bottom. A sigh of relief left her when her hand found the familiar rough texture of paper at the bottom, along with that of leather.

"What are you looking for?" Hiccup asked from behind her, pressing a kiss to her cheek and closing his arms around her, his chest warm against her bare back.

"These." She pulled out the rolled-up piece of paper and the small leather bag, holding them up for him to see.

Freeing herself from his hold, she walked over to her desk, putting the paper on it and chucking the contents out of the small bag; a note, along with the statuette of Toothless Hiccup had given her last Snoggletog. Hiccup's eyes widened, a hint of amazement to his voice when she softly put it down. "You kept that?"

"Of course I did." She walked over to her bed, retrieving the candle.

Hiccup carefully lifted the figurine, studying it intently. "I thought you would've burnt it after, well…" He winced slightly, pausing for a moment. "…you know."

"I can't say I didn't consider it," she admitted as she put the candle down on her desk, unrolling the piece of paper. "But I couldn't. It's quite pretty, after all. So I just put it away so I didn't have to look at it anymore." Carefully, she examined the paper in front of her, confirming that no changes had been made. "We should probably burn this though."

"What is it?" Hiccup blinked, putting the figurine back down and peering over her shoulder.

"A list I made of all people who'd left Berk under 'peculiar circumstances'," she explained, her finger trailing down the list of names. "I couldn't shake the feeling that you were a tad too familiar with Berk, so I figured it'd be a good place to start to find out who you were."

"And my name is the very last one on it," Hiccup observed when her finger arrived at the bottom.  _Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III_. With a few dried-up spots next to it. From her tears.

"I wrote it down after you gave me mini-Toothless," she nodded. "Although my initial thought was that the Phantom had killed you, not that you  _were_ him. And I don't think we need anyone accidentally figuring any of that out because they cleaned out my room."

"I concur. But, in a way, he did, I suppose," Hiccup murmured. " _That_  Hiccup doesn't really exist anymore, after all. I remember your accusations though. And how my blabbering only made it worse."

"While I was slowly freezing, crying in the snow," she recalled, a huff leaving her.

Hiccup's arms embraced her again, pulling her close. "I know. I felt terrible, and honestly, quite confused. I had no idea you felt so guilty over me disappearing. Or well, dying." He pressed his lips to her shoulder. "I'd expected to feel triumphant over something like that, reciprocating some of the pain Berk gave me. But I just wanted to hug you and tell you I was sorry."

"I know I've said this before, but I'm so glad you're alive." She softly touched his arms on her waist, one naturally rough, the other severely scarred. "And that I got the chance to get to know you."

"Likewise," Hiccup told her, his fingers intertwining with hers when she found them. "I mean, I had a crush on you as a kid, but I never really  _knew_ you. And I could never have imagined falling this deeply in love with you as soon as I did."

"Neither could I." She picked up the list at its corner, carefully holding it up above the candle fire, watching it burn away in front of her eyes. Hiccup's secret would be revealed to Berk one day. They'd agreed on that. But today was not that day. "I love you," she repeated after the paper had completely been reduced to ashes. Once more, because some part of her felt she couldn't say it often enough.

"I love you too," Hiccup whispered, squeezing her tightly and pressing kisses to her skin. "Some day, I'm going to make you my wife. So I can be your husband. And I promise you that I will take care of you as long as I'm alive. I will fight for you, I will protect you. If I have to, I will die for you. And until then, I will never leave your side."

"Nor will I leave yours," she told him, turning around. She cupped his cheek, leaving her other hand on his shoulder, once again taking in the beautiful shade of his eyes, that gorgeous green. His single bushy eyebrow, his cute nose, the pattern of freckles on his cheek which she'd completely memorized, the white lines of the scars that had made him who he was. Topped off by the kind of loving smile that made her knees go weak.

She smirked to herself, recalling the corniest line Hiccup had ever told her. Which was absolutely perfect. " _You alone can make my soul take flight_."

"And you mine," Hiccup sighed, angling his head and pressing his lips to hers, drowning her in a kiss that was thoroughly loving and sweet.

They took their time, showering each other in passionate kisses, from each other's necks, to their jaws, to long, slow ones on their lips, sealing their promises to each other yet again. It took every bit of strength in both of them to break apart, but eventually, they did, tidying up her room and restoring it to how it was before they'd defiled it. They decided to leave mini-Toothless back where they'd found it, as neither of them could properly take it with them right now, resolving to pick it up when they left Berk. Dousing the candle and putting it back where it was, they snuck back out, ensuring no one saw or heard them, and started to make their way back towards the Great Hall, firmly holding each other's hands.

She didn't know what was next. Perhaps the rest of the feast would be a dread, or maybe it would be even better than it had been before they left. Either way, she didn't really care. Because no matter what this night still had in store for them, she was absolutely, completely sure that it was already one of the best nights of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aren't they adorable!? 
> 
> See you guys next week! Update will arrive somewhere between Tuesday and Thursday.


	35. Why So Silent?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone! After the two Masquerade chapters, we will be moving on to the next one; Why So Silent?. Thank you all for your lovely comments on the previous one! Along with that, I'd like to point you at something a reader made; a video trailer for this fic, which I feel is absolutely perfect, wonderful, I love it! You can find it on YouTube if you search for 'The Phantom of the Arena | Trailer'

_Why so silent, good Messieurs?_

_Did you think that I had left you for good?_

_Have you missed me, good Messieurs?_

**Why So Silent?**

Berk was noticeably louder when Astrid and Hiccup submerged themselves in the land of the living again. Where most Vikings had merely been buzzed before, they were now absolutely drunk, swaying dangerously in the village squares, big bonfires burning in the middle of them to keep everyone warm. The stars were shining high above them, night having fallen, and the tables were no longer used to comfortably sit at, but were instead danced on, one man after the other tumbling off it because they either got knocked off in a friendly – or not so friendly – brawl, or because they simply lost their sense of balance all by themselves. Their wives would tell them off, only to show them how it was done directly afterwards. And although they were often better, they weren't  _that_ much better, quickly joining their men on the floor.

In the places the music didn't reach, the tribes sang their own songs, merrily wagging from side to side to the rhythm of their own claps and stomps. There were some heated arguments over the lyrics – they slightly varied from island to island, after all. But soon enough, those differences were set aside in favour of a new version of the song, featuring people just singing – or shouting, considering how drunk they were – whatever they felt was correct. Somewhere in the crowd, Astrid spotted Gothi, tending to those who had overestimated their own ability to hold their liquor. Which in this case just meant scolding them by hitting them with her stick a few times and shoving a bucket in front of them, while pointing at the nearest water supply.

All of it, mixed together in this one big mess of Vikingness, brought a smile to Astrid's face. The Barbaric Archipelago was a fractured place. Most islands looked after themselves first, and spontaneous cooperation was not something that was very common, among the bigger islands, at least. And things weren't helped by the fact that they regularly went to war with each other either.

Berk had managed to maintain a fragile peace for years now – which was necessary, given that all their resources went towards battling dragons, and by extension, Hiccup's Phantom – but they never knew how long it would last. To say the Berserkers were temperamental was an understatement, Dagur the Deranged notoriously so, but the tribe mostly focused its attention on the smaller islands in their vicinity. The Outcasts' reason to hold a grudge was basically in their name. And she knew all too well that over the course of their history, the Berkians themselves hadn't exactly been the most friendly Vikings either.

It was what made events like this even more important, to the point that it had been a tradition for many decades. Whenever a chief, or the future chief, of an island married, the rest of the Archipelago was invited. Without exception, and regardless of family or status. People wouldn't always come – she had personally never attended one, for instance – but they  _could_ , which was the vital thing. It gave everyone the opportunity to get a good look at the leader and his new wife, along with the rest of the island, creating transparency under the guise of a collection of amazing food, drinks and the opportunity to dance. The hosting island would always try to look its best, and while fights and brawls weren't uncommon, it'd been years since there had been significantly more casualties than at a regular wedding. And it was a nice opportunity to meet people.

She knew all those things, but actually seeing them come true still felt quite surreal. So many people having a good time, regardless of where they came from. Sure, most folks still hung around with those they knew, but especially in singing or dancing, strangers were always welcomed as long as they did their part. Just like Hiccup and she had been – even though they weren't truly strangers, that's what Berk interpreted them to be. If it hadn't been for them meeting about a year ago, she might've met her future husband here, instead of sneaking around with him through the masses. But she wouldn't have had it any other way.

Eventually, after being dragged into a circle dance or two, they reached the Great Hall again. The large wooden doors at the top of it had been partially closed to keep in the heat – even in summer, the Archipelago's nights could be extremely cold. They squeezed their way through the small opening that remained, the warmth of the Hall immediately welcoming them in.

It was busier than before, those who had been starting to get cold having retreated inside; there was no use in going to sleep with the amount of noise the village still produced, after all. Most of the food had been finished, but mead and ale still flowed freely from the kegs, judging by the sheer amount of mugs and drinking horns that could be seen – and heard – spilling over, filling the hall with the smell of alcohol.

Hiccup didn't hesitate a moment, immediately dragging her through the crowd and back to the dance floor, and she gladly let him. Whereas the middle of the Hall had already been chaotic before, it was simply reminiscent of Ragnarök right now, with its dancers considerably more drunk and less coordinated. From the far left wall of the Hall, the previous chiefs of Berk smiled upon the party-goers, their images traditionally painted on shields, accompanied by those of their sons. A permanent reminder of the Chiefs that had come before, and generations of Berkians along with them.

They had to dodge Snotlout and Ruffnut spinning right past them with another couple, telling her that the speeches hadn't happened yet, and properly joined in when the next song started. They teamed up with two young couples from Berserker Island, who she was sure they'd also danced with earlier that night, quickly falling back into the rhythm they'd established earlier. Hiccup's eyes shone brightly from behind his helmet, telling her that the rest of his face was smiling just as brilliantly, and that he was still as happy as he'd been before. She couldn't help but flash him the widest kind of smile in return, feeling similar but yet different all the same. First, they were 'just' boyfriend and girlfriend. Now, they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

It made her mind wander, her body completing the steps while her thoughts focused on the man in black she loved so much. With Hiccup very unlikely to ever become Chief, they wouldn't have to have a wedding fit for one. As nice as this one was, she wouldn't mind something smaller, more intimate. With just Berk, or maybe only family and friends, and their dragons, of course. If they were still open to that after they'd learnt the truth, that was, if her father accepted Hiccup's offer and Stoick would be willing to marry them. If not, they would have to go somewhere else, and as badly as she wanted to do things the Viking way, what if it wasn't possible?

She told herself not to think about that for now, that it would work out regardless, that as long as Hiccup loved her and she loved him, they would find a way. And at the very least, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that they loved each other. From this night on, they would make it through whatever life threw at them.

Slowly, the Chiefs' Table at the far end of the Hall started to fill back up, its occupants returning from whatever they'd previously been up to. Stoick still looked awfully unphased by the whole affair – the Chief never drank much to begin with, she knew – and barely eyed Dagur when the red-haired Berserker Chief happily wagged to his side, stumbling over his chair as he tried to take a big chug from his mug, loudly shouting something at Stoick, who only nodded politely in response.

The Hall started to stir, became restless as the remaining Chiefs took their seats. More people flooded the Hall, anxious to hear what would be said. Ruffnut and Snotlout were the final ones to return to the table, completing the party, talking to those sitting next to them before Spitelout eventually gestured at the musicians to stop. The dancers stilled, and so did Hiccup and Astrid, moving towards the back and blending in with the crowd, which was moving forward until the Archipelago's people were standing in a crescent shape in front of the Chiefs' Table.

"Are you sure you want to stick around for this?" Hiccup whispered in her ear, nodding towards the exit. The crowd had nearly filled the entire Hall, and the both of them were standing at about the halfway point, most of the Chiefs' Table having disappeared from sight, safe for Stoick the Vast towering above the crowd, even while seated. "It'll likely just be very boring."

"I do," she hissed, keeping her voice low and speaking with as little words as possible.

"I really don't think –"

He was interrupted by loud cheering, Vikings clapping and stamping their feet on the floor. They turned around, watching how Tuffnut climbed up on the table, holding both of his hands up in the air as he slightly paced back and forth. Most of his face paint had washed off, and the cape he'd referred to earlier hung from his shoulders, completely torn to shreds – although in his case, that could have just as easily been on purpose.

"Alright, alright!" Tuffnut shouted, making downward motions with his hands to shush the crowd, almost stumbling off the table as he did. The crowd cheered loudly in response, prompting the twin to take a deep bow, which caused him to almost tumble forward this time around.

Miraculously righting himself, he started talking. "Alright, my fellow Vikings, gnomes, and trolls – that's you Snotlout – thank you  _all_ for being here, to attend the wedding of my amazing sister and her now-husband. Who, I should inform you, is not quite as amazing as she is, but hey, he took the fist of Odin to his nose for her, so he has my approval!"

He gestured wildly at the bride and groom, who were treated to a wild round of applause, making the sturdy stone floor beneath them tremble.

"But, before I talk about –  _hick_ – sorry, the ale is  _awesome_  – how stunningly great this feast is, and what's still to come – after all, in line with Thorston tradition, surprises are what we're all about – let me tell you all a bit about our bride and groom, because if anything, this did  _not_ start out as a match made in Valhalla!"

Astrid smiled, because yes, if someone had told her that Ruffnut and Snotlout would end up getting married, she would not have believed them. She still didn't really believe it.

Tuffnut put his hand over his chest, his voice turning overly formal. "It was but a stormy night, twenty years ago, on which me and my sister – she first, then me, saving the best for last – were born. Some would say it was merely an occasion of historically bad weather. But I – and many other proud citizens of Berk would agree – theorize that we were sent to this island by none other than Loki himself."

There were some agreeing nods from the crowd, and she found herself motioning along. It had most definitely seemed that way, that one time they'd set her hair on fire, misplaced her axe, dug a hole just in front of her door and covered it with leaves, claiming they were gifting her a boar pit. Of course, she'd made the twins pay for it every time.

Tuffnut pointed at the groom. "Snotman here had already been crawling around the village for almost a year by then, and for as long as I can remember, Ruff and I have annoyed him, and he has annoyed us. While many Berkians refer to us as pests, nuisances, parasites – titles we are very proud of, I humbly admit – our relationship with Snotlout was always mutually beneficial.  _Sym-bi-o-sis_ , is the word the more sophisticated among us would use."

Tuffnut walked to the side of the table and all the way back as he continued, seemingly shaking off some of his buzz and replacing it with adrenaline, but failing to notice how the chiefs behind him clearly did not appreciate him invading their space. "We tormented each other when learning how to read and write – all our misspellings are therefore automatically Snotlout's fault, and not just by marriage. We caused each other anguish in our free time, and of course, in dragon training and in every raid that followed. It was a good life. A simple life. A  _wonderful_ life."

"But  _then!"_  Tuffnut suddenly jumped up on the table, almost losing his balance when he came down with a loud  _bang!_ , startling the Hall. "A little over two years ago, our village became haunted by someone who, in all honesty, blew me and Ruffnut out of the water. The  _true_  earthly reincarnation of Loki himself." He raised his voice, drawing out the vowels. " _The Phantom of the Arena!"_

A low rumour started in the hall, and she looked at Hiccup from the corner of her eye, who just gave her a shrug, seemingly unbothered by the mention of his persona.

"And of course, Ruffnut and I wanted to find this Phantom!" Tuffnut continued, emoting wildly. "To bring him to justice, and in the process, hope he'd bestow his knowledge of trickery upon us. Snotlout was all too eager to help, but unfortunately, our noble mission failed. And while we didn't find the Phantom, for the first time in their lives, Ruffnut and Snotlout were forced to work together, which made them find something else…" He pointed at the bride and groom with both of his hands. " _Each other_."

A loud  _Awww_  could be heard in the Hall, and she felt Hiccup lean in towards her. "Looks like at least one good thing came out of me being the Phantom," he whispered.

She briefly took his hand, squeezing it slightly and smiling at him, which he promptly returned. "Two good things."

"And I admit, I was not a fan at first," Tuffnut emoted, turning to Ruffnut. "After all, for how much I can't stand her, and for all the times I wished I'd eaten her in the womb, she's still my sister." He inhaled sharply, as if he was concealing a sob. "And I love you, my dearest, dearest Ruffnut  _Eugene_ Thorston."

"I love you too bro!" Ruffnut shouted, the crowd cheering along with her. "But you're embarrassing yourself!"

"I don't care!" Tuffnut yelled back, wiping his eyes with his arm. "The heart wants what the heart wants!" He fell on his knees, right in front of Snotlout. "And you, my dear Snotty, I had my doubts! You seemed unworthy, took a phenomenal punch to the face and backed off. But when I got stabbed by the Phantom, seemingly passed on to Valhalla way too early… You had her back. And proved me, and any other naysayers – of whom there were many – completely wrong. So –"

"Wait, the Phantom  _stabbed_ you!?" Dagur's voice rang from the other side of the table.

Tuffnut turned to the interrupter, nodding a little  _too_ excitedly. "Absolutely."

Dagur stepped on the table as well, clearly seeking an audience. "And you didn't stab him back?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly see him, and he completely paralyzed me," Tuffnut eagerly relayed. "I still wonder how he did it, Gothi said it looked like I'd been stung by a Speed Stinger, but hey, I would've seen a dragon so –"

"Is all of Berk grossly incompetent?" Dagur spat. "I also heard you apparently don't even kill dragons anymore!"

"You're one to talk!" Snotlout shouted, clumsily climbing up the table. "You don't get raids to begin with, so you've never had the Phantom around!"

"The Phantom wouldn't dare to set foot on our island!" Dagur declared, prompting a cheer from the Berserkers in the crowd. He unsheathed his axe from his back, holding it up in the air, laughing loudly. "We'd beat him down, no questions asked, Berserker style!"

"Good luck beating someone down who you  _can't see_!" Snotlout retorted. "I'd be the first to have his head if he'd stopped shitting his pants and actually showed up."

"Snotlout –" She heard Stoick say, but the Chief of Berk was promptly interrupted.

"He's a coward, that's what he is!" Snotlout continued, his declaration met with loud cheers from the audience. "If he was even half the man I was, he would actually come out and fight me one on one!"

She saw the Chief of Berk's lips move once more, but he was drowned out by the agreeing shouts.

"I bet he's not even an actual Viking!" Dagur laughed.

"Of course he's not!" Snotlout chimed in, parading over the table and turning to the crowd. "Don't you agree!?" His question was met with loud ' _aye_ 's, his eyes visibly brightening in response. "Because we are, aren't we!? We fight with honour, face to face, we don't hide in the dark like a little  _momma's boy_!" He moved his fists to his eyes, pretending to be crying. Behind him, Tuffnut jumped up, clapping his hands. Meanwhile, Astrid's teeth sank into her lower lip, watching the show, trying not to take their preposterous shouting contest too seriously.

"Bet his mommy didn't even love him! He's on the dragons' side, after all!" Dagur cackled, gesturing as if his head was exploding. "I know _I'm_  Deranged, but how many times do you have to hit your head to actually do go  _that_ crazy!?"

"Must've snorted so much Zippleback gas that he can no longer think straight!" Snotlout concurred, every line he spat met with increasingly louder cheers from the crowd. "Wouldn't be surprised if he's a total loser. Can't lift a sword, can't fight, couldn't protect himself if he tried. He's nowhere near being a proper warrior, nor a man, that's why he hides! Because he's too incompetent to do anything else!"

"Can't even lift his cock, if he has one to begin with!" Dagur moved his axe to his crotch, letting it limply dangle around.

"As if anyone would sleep with him! Bet he's uglier than a Gronckle's ass!"

Angrily, she clenched her fists. She'd heard enough. She knew Vikings loved to talk their enemies down, but she didn't need to listen to them spitting out their gall over Hiccup. They didn't know who he  _really_  was, after all. Gods, they'd be ashamed if they did.

She looked to her side, intending to nudge Hiccup and tell him they should go outside.

_But he wasn't there._

"Maybe the beasts are the only ones who'll let him near them! Bet he shags them, for lack of any other options!" Dagur chuckled.

Her breath catching, she looked at the other people surrounding her, wondering if he'd maybe stepped aside to make room for someone else.  _But he wasn't there._

"He's a degenerate! And when I'm Chief – "

She got up on her toes, scanning the crowd for the familiar combination of dragonscale and leather.

"– I won't rest until we catch him! Make him pay for all he's done to us!"

But she didn't see him anywhere. Where had he gone? Had he gone outside already? Should she call out to him? What was the name again? Alexander?

"You should tour him from island to island so all the Archipelago can see!"

But people would probably recognize her voice… And if he'd gone outside, then why hadn't he told her so? She looked to see if the crowd was moving anywhere, indicating someone was passing through, but the hall was too packed, too busy…

"Put him on public display!"

Her heart dropping, she started to make her way through the crowd, towards the exit, seeing no other option than that Hiccup had indeed gone outside. Of course he would've, being insulted like that. She should've paid better attention to him, he couldn't possibly be alright hearing all of this.

"Make him beg for mercy!"

She didn't even know who was talking anymore, the voices increasingly drowned out by the clamouring crowd and her heart beating in her ears. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but she was sure Hiccup was just sitting outside.

"Strip him down! He didn't want to show himself, so we'll make him show everything ourselves!"

Gods, he'd been so happy tonight, and then this. She should've expected it, this is how Vikings get when they're drunk and riled up, after all, constantly trying to outdo each other. Why did she insist they stayed?

"It's been a while since we epically flayed anyone, hasn't it?"

She got some strange looks as she elbowed her way through the crowd, but finally, she reached the back of it, the Great Hall's wooden doors within her reach. She approached them, getting a glimpse of the dark night sky outside through the small crack between them.

And froze in place when she heard the unmistakable high-pitched whistle of an approaching Night Fury.

Her mind registered everything too late, her body instinctively reacting when she heard the ear-deafening blast just above her head. The sound of wood shattering rang in her ears, and she crouched to the ground, raising her hands above her head, wincing when pieces of debris grazed the bare skin between her gloves and shoulder pads.

Panting, her eyes wide, she looked up, gaping at the gigantic hole that had been blasted into the massive doors.

And spotting the black dragon that flew right through it.

Still deafened by the blast, the panicked shouts of the people behind her only barely reached her ears, repeating the phrase that had been branded into her mind ever since she was born. Until the last Night Fury raiding Berk had  _mysteriously_  disappeared.

"Night Fury! Get down!"

She whipped her head around, spotting the crowd as it tried to disperse, people tumbling over each other in an attempt to get away from the dragon above their heads. Shouts of pain and shock rang through the Hall as the black shadow rushed by, heading straight for the other side of the Hall, abusing the chaos to fly straight over the Chiefs' heads. It turned swiftly, and then landed, right on Berk's throne, the dragon's back legs landing on the top, ungracefully knocking the large chair on its back, the loud bang of the wood hitting the floor echoing over people's surprised gasps.

The Night Fury put its front legs on the front of the throne, assuming a predatory position, its back hunched, its wings slightly spread, roaring as it bared its teeth. And the rider on its back looked just as prepared for war.

"I would kindly suggest you all to stop moving," the voice every part of her still connected to the Phantom echoed. A purple glow started in the dragon's mouth, who she struggled to accept to be Toothless, the Night Fury's normally gentle eyes reduced to slits. "Or I will blow you all to shreds."

The Vikings, most of which were still on the floor, gaping or wincing in pain, froze, their prone positions providing Astrid with the perfect view of something she absolutely did not want to see.

"And just to be clear," the rider continued. "If anyone tries to pull something funny, such as attacking me…" Hiccup –  _Hiccup!?_ – unsheathed Inferno, the sword unfolding and igniting  _in his right hand_. "… my dragon and I will be quicker. And I won't hesitate, not even a moment, to kill each and every one of you." He pointed his sword at the frozen figures directly in front of him, Snotlout and Tuffnut already having crept off the table, abandoning Dagur. "Starting with your most humble chieftains."

"What do you think you're –!?" Dagur started, Hiccup's head immediately whipping in his direction.

"Dagur," Stoick hissed, catching the Berserker Chief's arm. "Sit down."

"Perhaps you should listen to someone more experienced,  _Dagur_ ," Hiccup mocked, spitting out the chieftain's name. "Let the people who  _actually matter_  figure this out. I'm not here for you, after all. You mean absolutely nothing to me." He twirled Inferno around in his hand, drawing a gasp from the crowd. "So if you speak up again, I'll gladly introduce you to how me doing  _that_ would feel on your skin. And not in a way you'd like."

That was enough to shut the Berserker Chief up, who fell back into his chair, unmoving. An eerie silence dawned on the Hall, as no one moved, no one dared to speak. Including Astrid herself. She just sat there, on the floor, terror gripping her heart and keeping her there, her mouth opened as she struggled to comprehend what was happening.

Until the quiet was finally pierced by the kind of wicked laugh she hadn't had to hear in so many months.

"I thought at least one of you would ask 'Then why are you here?' But I guess none of you are brave enough to go through the treatment I just offered poor Dagur here," Hiccup laughed, sitting up straighter. "Well, at least it's good to know that if I were looking for an army of  _cowards_ , this would be an excellent crowd to recruit from. And that's exactly why I'm here. You asked me to show myself. So I did. Because if you expect me to stand idly by while you  _mock_  me,  _belittle_ me, and downright  _insult_ me, I won't. I will happily point out your hypocrisy. Because I'm not afraid of you." He gestured at the crowd. "Not of any of you. And now here you are, thoroughly, cripplingly, absolutely, humiliatingly terrified of  _me_."

And no one spoke up to tell him otherwise, the Vikings in front of her quieter than she'd ever seen them. Not even the children cried, crawling into their parents' arms instead, who kept their hands over their mouths to shush them, facing the back of the Hall instead of the Phantom. Which gave Astrid a perfect view of the sheer amount of terror in their eyes, which was so intense it made her own hands shake along with theirs. She wished she could tell them they didn't have to be afraid. That it was an act.

But she couldn't find the conviction.

"And please allow me to clarify one thing, so there won't be any more confusions," Hiccup sneered. "I don't fight you one on one because I can't. But because I don't need to." Adding power to his words, he twirled Inferno around a few more times.

"So,  _you_ ," Hiccup continued, pointing his sword at Snotlout.

"Me?" Snotlout squeaked, his voice hardly audible despite the complete silence in the Hall.

"No, another pile of useless yak dung," Hiccup spat. "Yes, you. Let's not hide, shall we? That wouldn't be fitting for the future chief of Berk." He gestured at the table. "Get. Back. On it."

Clearly wobbly on his legs, Snotlout got back up to his feet, crawling on the table and slowly righting himself.

"Pathetic," Hiccup mocked. "But I don't think I'm quite done with you yet. You tried to humiliate me, after all. So could you please tell me and the kind people of the Archipelago the answer to the following, very simple question: who's the true coward here?"

Snotlout stayed silent, his back turned to the crowd, leaving his face unreadable, his quivering legs telling them all they needed to know.

"Me or you? There's only one right answer," Hiccup teased, sounding like he was actually enjoying himself.

"Me," Snotlout croaked.

"Exactly. Not as dumb as you look after all. Though it's not far off." Hiccup scoffed. "And you're supposed to rule this island, eventually? To be the one to catch me, and bring me to justice? I wish you the best of luck. I truly do. After all, it doesn't seem like you properly understand who  _truly_ holds power over Berk. And who its precious people should actually  _respect_."

Hiccup clacked his tongue. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to solidify things, now would it?" Toothless moved slightly, spreading his wings, making the Night Fury look even more intimidating, a low grumble spilling from its throat. "All I ask of you, dear future chief, is one very simple thing." Hiccup paused for a moment, his voice dripping with spite and triumph when he continued. "Show me your respect. Admit who's really in charge here. And kneel for me."

Astrid's breath caught in her throat. What was he thinking? Why, what,  _why!?_ This was going too far, it had to stop, but how!? How could she make it stop, if she could hardly even see him from back where she was!?

"No," Snotlout said, to her surprise.

"Are you sure?" Hiccup chuckled.

Even from this distance, she could see Stoick wince when Snotlout responded again. "Yes."

"In that case, I guess I'll have to up the stakes." Toothless turned slightly, reangling himself to the right of Snotlout. "If you don't do exactly as I say, naturally, I will have no choice but to kill you. But first –" Hiccup pointed Inferno straight in front of him. At Ruffnut, who stumbled back against the table in response. "I will kill your lovely new wife."

"How dare you –" Spitelout jumped up from his chair, grabbing his axe. Almost instantly, Toothless released the blast he was holding, the loud  _bang!_ that followed shaking the Hall's foundations, resonating within the ground beneath their feet. The place of impact was left smoking, a huge chunk removed from the stone wall just behind Spitelout, who had frozen in place.

"And your father, while I'm at it. As I'm sure you all know, Night Furies only ever miss  _on purpose_ ," Hiccup cackled, turning Toothless back to Ruffnut. "And I won't be as merciful a second time around."

Part of Astrid told her, kept shouting at her to do something, but most of her felt locked in place, her breathing ragged, her heartbeat accelerating. Hiccup was too far away, she couldn't see him, she couldn't catch a glimpse of his eyes to tell her what was actually going on, what he was trying to do. She knew he wouldn't kill anyone, deep down she knew, the Phantom was an act after all, he wouldn't, he  _couldn't_ , but her mind was so riddled, frozen, thrown off-course that she couldn't figure why –  _why, Gods, why!?_ – he was doing this.

She just wanted him to stop. But all she could possibly do was shout, revealing her own identity in the process, the crowd close enough to catch her if they wanted to. Now if only she could find her voice, her mouth feeling dry, her lips opening and closing without making a sound.

"So, I'm going to tell you one more time," Hiccup continued, his voice frighteningly low, his tone threatening. " _Kneel_  for me."

There was a long drawn-out moment of silence, Hiccup and Snotlout just staring at each other. She wished she could see their expressions, the look Hiccup was giving the other man. But she just sat there, still on her knees, panting, panic gripping her heart because she felt completely useless.

The tension in the room was so thick she could've cut straight through it with her axe, had she had it with her. Then perhaps,  _maybe, just maybe_ , she could've done something. Instead, she joined the other Vikings in their collective sigh, when finally, Snotlout caved, his legs almost collapsing beneath him as he knelt in front of the usurper.

"How awfully humiliating," Hiccup snickered. "You're not even chief yet, and you're already bowing down to someone who should by all rules and traditions be far beneath you. In a way, it's absolutely hilarious, don't you think?" He laughed and leant forward, Toothless' tail intimidatingly swinging behind him. "It just goes to show that all of it means absolutely nothing. It doesn't matter what the customs say, or who's Chief. Power comes to those who are able to wield it. Who can command the respect it requires."

He raised his voice, echoing through the Hall as he pointed Inferno at the crowd. "I don't mean to rule your islands. I have no interest in it. But let it be clear that if I wished to, I absolutely, most certainly could. Your rulers mean nothing to me. Your chiefs, your lineages, your dynasties. Your internal struggles for power. I could crush them all, reduce them to  _ash_." He redirected his flaming sword to the wall to his right, at the faces of the chieftains who'd come before. "Allow me to give you a little preview."

Toothless growled, his roar so loud it hurt her ears. She was all too familiar with how ear-deafening a Night Fury's blasts could be, and had ceased to be startled by them a long time ago, but all she could do now is slam her hands against her ears, wincing as Toothless fired not once, not twice, but a grand total of five times, purple blasts slamming into the wall just to the left of the Chiefs' Table. Hitting each of the five portraits of former chiefs of Berk with their sons, right in the middle of the shields they were painted on, completely obliterating six generations of Berkian chiefs until nothing but ash and debris remained. Their entirely legacy, blown to shreds.

Her limbs trembled as she looked back up at Toothless and Hiccup, unable to believe he'd actually done that. She watched the unmovable Stoick the Vast lift his hands to his face in horror, and her heart sank, unable to imagine the kind of dagger that must've just been drilled in to the Chief's heart. Because a terrorist, who she knew was actually  _his own son_ , had just destroyed his entire family's history, including the portrait of him and his own father. And he would never be able to get that back.

"I could do the same to the rest of you. Already dead or unfortunately still alive, it's all the same to me" Hiccup snapped, completely unphased by his actions. "But I won't. And all I ask of the Archipelago in return for the freedom I choose to grant it…" He shouted his next words. "Is that you keep your  _disgusting_  hands off my dragons!"

Toothless spread his wings below his rider, making the Night Fury look as terrifying as he possibly could be. "Let tonight serve as a reminder of what will happen to the rest of you if you dare to defy me again," Hiccup hissed. "Because this has been my first, and only warning. And I don't think you want to know what the repercussions for disobedience will be."

He sheathed Inferno into its hilt, repositioning himself in Toothless' saddle. "I will be watching you. I will be everywhere you think I am. And everywhere you think I'm not. In your villages, your forests, your seas, your dreams, your deepest nightmares. And surely, with time, you'll find that where I actually am no longer matters, because I,  _the Phantom of the Arena_ , will always be right there with all of you; inside your mind."

With those final words, Toothless shot off, the gust the single, powerful beat of his wings produced enough to knock several people over and leave many others yelping in surprise. He soared over the terrified crowd, straight through the fire in the middle of the Hall, because he could, and out through the doors using the hole he'd blasted in them himself. Disappearing back into the night.

Astrid's breathing was still unstable, and she struggled to take more than rough, desperate gulps, her body racing with adrenaline as she tried to force herself to move as well. She attempted to gather what little strength she still had to get up to her feet, everything around her spinning when she finally did, heaving and preventing herself from throwing up. Nevertheless, she managed to make herself move, putting one foot in front of the other, refusing to look behind her, until finally, she ran, after Hiccup, leaving the chaos in the Great Hall behind her. Praying, hoping, wishing that none of this had been real. But knowing, deep down, that it absolutely had been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uhm it was fun having Tuffnut give a speech, right? Nothing else really happened… *hides under the table*
> 
> Many, many of you were wondering when exactly the bomb would drop, because you felt it had to drop at one point or another. And I think we can say that Hiccup just absolutely, completely, totally dropped it.
> 
> Oh boy.


	36. Twisted Every Way - Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well the last chapter was… well. Don't think I need to spend a lot more words on that, but I'm so glad the chapter is finally out there because I've known for such a long time that I was going to pull the trigger on that. And now we're finally here, and going to deal with the fallout!

_Twisted every way_

_What answer can I give?_

_Am I to risk my life to win the chance to live?_

**Twisted Every Way – Part One**

Astrid's footsteps sounded hard on the stone stairs leading back down to the village. In front of her, people were watching the doors she'd just come out of – and in particular, the large hole blown into it. Behind her, the noise coming from the Great Hall slowly rose as people regained their senses, now that the danger seemed to have passed. But what she didn't see, no matter where she looked, was the familiar shape of the Night Fury, his rider on his back, who'd been responsible for the chaos she was trying to get away from.

She stopped halfway down to check behind her, her gaze wandering to the entrance of the Great Hall and the mountain above it, but there wasn't enough light for her to catch even a glimpse of the top, morning not yet with them. It was the only place she could think Hiccup might have gone; Stormfly was still there after all, and no matter what was up with him and  _what the Hel he was thinking_ , he would never leave the Nadder behind.

More people flooded out of the Hall, their expressions all equally terrified and shocked, and she forced herself to move again, down into the village. She needed to get out of here. She needed Stormfly, but she would certainly reveal herself if she called for the dragon now. So into the forest she went, ignoring the astonished shouts directed at her from the village squares, that weren't questioning her identity, but wondering what she was trying to escape from.

As soon as she reached the treeline, her heart almost beating out of her chest, she started calling, hoping that her dragon's hearing was still as good as it was supposed to be. "Stormfly!"

It took no more than mere moments before she heard the familiar beating of a Deadly Nadder's wings, Stormfly appearing from the darkness and landing in the small clearing in front of her. The dragon cocked her head, flapping her wings and gawking at her rider in concern, sensing her distress. Astrid nearly threw herself into Stormfly's nosehorn, hugging her tightly, feeling so relieved that she was  _here_ and  _alright_ and not acting like she'd completely lost her mind, like everyone else seemed to be doing.

She jumped into the saddle and they went straight up, out of the forest, hovering above Berk as she scanned the skies around them, the moon, the stars and the bonfires still burning in the village there to guide her. She didn't see Hiccup and Toothless anywhere, but before she could start to rake her mind on where the two of them might have gone, she was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of beating wings to the right of her. It took her by surprise; of all scenarios she'd started to go through in her head, Hiccup and Toothless simply appearing next to her hadn't been one of them.

Hiccup was looking straight ahead, his visor down and his face unreadable. "Sorry I didn't get you out of there myself," was all he said, his voice sounding off. "Figured you wouldn't have wanted to pull that much attention to yourself, and it was a tough angle to grab you at." He repositioned himself in the saddle, the rigging of Toothless' tail audibly changing. "Let's go home."

Before she could interject, Hiccup and Toothless shot off, heading straight for the ocean. She nudged Stormfly to follow, feeling even more confused. Toothless was flying way faster than usual, actively beating his wings instead of calmly gliding, reducing him and Hiccup to nothing but a mere shadow passing in front of the stars. She leant forward in her saddle, trying to catch as little wind as possible to increase their chances of catching up once they got above open water.

Slowly but surely, she closed the distance, helped by Toothless eventually relaxing into a calmer soar, Hiccup's shape sitting up straighter. She levelled out next to them, calling out. "Hiccup!"

He didn't look at her when he answered. "Hm?"

"Are we going to talk about what happened!?" she shouted, not letting her voice get caught in the wind, because he needed to hear this.

"Do we have to?"

"Yes of course we do!" she hissed. "You can't just pull something like that and then pretend it didn't happen!"

Hiccup lowered his head. "Astrid I really don't –"

"Hiccup!" She pointed at a sea stack just below them, its dark shape breaking the reflection of the night sky in the ocean below. "Get down. Right now."

She led Stormfly down to it and Toothless followed shortly after, touching down on a platform that was just large enough to fit the four of them. Out of habit, she collected some twigs from Stormfly's saddlebags, dropping them on the ground so the Nadder could light them and they could actually see each other.

Hiccup stayed seated on Toothless, leaving her to look up at him, searching for his eyes, which seemed to be avoiding her on purpose.

"Hiccup, for the love of Thor, what did you just do!?" she asked, trying to sound as calm as possible, but completely failing when the memories of what had just happened flooded back to her. The look of absolute terror on the Vikings' faces, the shot that had barely missed Spitelout, Snotlout kneeling out of pure fear, the Chiefs' portraits destroyed… All of it by Hiccup's hand.  _Why!? Gods, why!?_

"They insulted me," he plainly said.

"That doesn't give you the right to strike back like  _that_!" She pulled off her mask, agitated by how it muffled her voice and fully intending to have him face the full extent of her anger.

"It doesn't!?" Hiccup's head whipped around, facing her. His gaze was cold, hard. "I thought I was supposed to act more  _like a proper Viking_ , but I  _suppose_  –" His eyes surveyed her, then widened, his voice immediately softening. "You're hurt."

"Of course I'm hurt, Hiccup, you just –!" she started, astonished that he could be that daft.

"Your arm," Hiccup pointed, dismounting Toothless, eyeing her with concern.

She looked at her arm, finding that indeed, the space between her shoulder pad and glove was stained red, the sensation of wood painfully grazing her skin coming back to her. "Must've happened when you blew a hole in the doors," she murmured. Gently, she felt up her elbow, finding that the cuts didn't run too deep and had already stopped bleeding.

Hiccup approached her carefully, extending his gloved hands to her. "Let me have a look."

She looked at him, then at Toothless. " _You blew a hole in the doors!_ "

"I know, I'm sorry, I wouldn't have done it if I knew you were standing so close," Hiccup mumbled, his voice low.

He reached out to her again, but she took a step back, clutching her arm to her chest. "Don't touch me."

He looked at her in shock, his eyes widening. "Astrid, I swear I didn't mean to do that, I should've checked on you, I'm sorry, I –"

"Then what  _did_ you mean to do!?" she shouted.

Hiccup lowered his hands, along with his gaze. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does," she hissed. "Take off your helmet." She needed to see his expression.

With a sigh, Hiccup obeyed, pulling his helmet off his head and dropping it on the ground.

"And tell me why you did it," she continued, lowering her voice to ensure he understood that arguing about it was absolutely not an option.

"Like I said, isn't it the proper Viking thing to do?" Hiccup scoffed, his nose scrunching, the softness in his eyes evaporating. "People insult your honour, you make them eat their words until they take it back. I merely did the same."

"Gods, for Thor's sake, Hiccup, you're better than that!" she yelled. "You could've just walked out of there!"

"And let them insult me?" Hiccup retorted, spitting out his words, his gaze hard.

"It were Snotlout and Dagur, of all people!"

"And the whole Great Hall agreed with them!" Hiccup pointed out.

" _So_!?"

"I was just supposed to let them get away with it, then?" Hiccup asked, gesturing at her. "Like I did for fifteen years, every time they called me Hiccup the Useless, Hiccup the Fuck-Up!? Enough's enough, Astrid!"

"They were talking about the Phantom, and they don't even know that's you!" she argued.

"They called me a  _coward_ ," Hiccup repeated, balling his fists. "Said I would never be able to fight them one on one." He winced, squeezing his eyes shut, his voice dropping. "That not even my mother would have loved me. While she must have, right? She  _died_  protecting me."

"As if they know what they're talking about! They don't even know you!" A thought took her, making her phrase a question she never thought she'd have to ask. "Unless you've done it before…?"

"I haven't," he confirmed. "But you're right, they didn't know me. And they disrespected me because of it." He looked at her, his gaze stern, resolute. "At least now they  _do_ know who they're dealing with. And I don't think they're likely to do it again."

"You can't possibly think what you just did was okay!?" she gaped. "I get that you're angry because Gods, yes, they insulted you,  _badly_ , but you can't…" She struggled to get the next words across her lips. "You can't threaten to kill an entire room full of people because of that! That's completely out of line!"

"Astrid, you know that the Phantom is mostly show, but it needed to be intimidating to be convincing. Being measured isn't enough to achieve that," Hiccup countered, shaking his head at her. "So, no, you're wrong, it was  _exactly_ what I needed to do."

"But  _why_!?"

"Because clearly, every single good thing I felt regarding Berk tonight was completely off," Hiccup scoffed. "I'm not one of them. I never have been, I never will be. This is the only way in which they would ever listen to me, so if playing the villain, the terrorist, is what I need to do to put them in their place, then I will gladly play that part."

"Why does it matter what they think of you!?" she asked, growing increasingly frustrated as she struggled to understand. "Gods, why do they even  _need_ to listen to you!?"

"The Phantom is all about his reputation. The suggestion of what he  _could_ do is way more powerful than what he actually does. If that changes, if he just lets people get away with the things that Snotlout and Dagur said about him tonight, then he loses that respect," Hiccup explained, sounding oddly calm, shutting his eyes and concealing that he absolutely wasn't calm at all. "I couldn't let that happen. I can't let people like  _Snotlout_ get the impression they'd stand a chance, and start actually trying to fight me."

"So you just threatened to kill Ruffnut!?" she shouted.

"Gods, Astrid, you know I never would have pulled the trigger on that!" Hiccup sighed, fisting his hands in his hair as he looked at her, agitated. "The Phantom does not kill. End of story. I've told you that tons of times now! And besides, if I was going to kill anyone, it wouldn't have been Ruffnut! Snotlout and Dagur are way higher on that particular list."

"You couldn't," she argued, shocked by how casually he'd just discussed the possibility of  _killing two people_.

Hiccup looked away from her. "I could."

"How do you know?" she asked, her heartbeat slowing, the cold wind suddenly making her shiver. She hoped it was the wind.

Hiccup's eyes settled back on hers, his gaze piercing. "Because I've done it before."

She gaped at him, the world around her grinding to a halt when the words left him.  _He'd done it before_. He'd  _killed_ before.  _Hiccup_ , her Hiccup, sweet Hiccup, loving Hiccup, soft and caring Hiccup, who wouldn't, who  _couldn't_ do something like that. She'd always known that for sure. Ever since they'd faced each other, back in the cove, she holding his own dagger to his throat.

He couldn't kill anyone, even if he wanted to. That had always been a certainty.

Which now completely fell apart, consumed by the cold look in her lover's eyes.

"Who," was all she managed, the phrase hardly sounding like a question.

"Who what?"

"Who did you kill?" she breathed.

"No one you know," Hiccup silently answered, pacing along the fire, focusing his eyes on the flames.

"Then who?" she insisted. She was getting this story out of him, whether he liked it or not.

"They weren't even remotely close to the Archipelago, so I don't see how it matters who they were."

 _They._ Multiple people. "Hiccup," she called, causing him to look up. There was uncertainty in his gaze, his mouth drawn into a line, the flames dancing over his scars. "Tell me."

"It's a long story," he tried.

"Tell. Me."

Hiccup eyed her for a while, his expression unmoving before he finally sighed, collapsing onto the ground. He looked at her, expectantly, because she'd always sit next to him whenever he told her a story. But she just crossed her arms, staring down at him from where she stood. She could see Toothless' eyes dart between the two of them, sensing the tension, and even Stormfly was remarkably quiet.

"Toothless and I were still travelling, always on the move, never staying in one place, because we simply had no reason to stay," Hiccup started, his voice soft. "We were a world away from the Archipelago, and to this day I'm not sure what caused it, perhaps it was just exhaustion, and the climate, but…" He bit his lower lip, his voice breaking. "Toothless got sick. Like really, really sick." The Night Fury warbled softly, as if to confirm the story. "The tail was starting to give out too, Toothless could barely fly anymore, so getting food became harder and eventually, we stranded. Nearby Constantinople."

Hiccup grabbed Inferno from his right leg, playing with the hilt, seemingly focusing his eyes on it to distract himself. "I managed to hide Toothless somewhere and from that point on I just… survived. I had to feed both of us, along with look for anything that could possibly make him feel better because I  _couldn't_ , I just couldn't lose my best friend. The only friend I'd ever had." Toothless softly nudged his rider's head, and Hiccup gave the dragon some loving pats in return. Telling the story seemed to have calmed him down a little, at least, but it wasn't quite doing the same for her. She wasn't letting her guard down that easily. Not after what she'd just witnessed. "But soon, I'd sold everything we still owned, and we were left with nothing, an actual job not earning me near enough to get by…"

She realised she'd heard part of this story before. "So you went into prostitution."

He shook his head. "Not instantly. I started stealing. I was pretty bad at it at first, but eventually, I got better, raking in more and more, which was still only enough to barely survive. But before that, I'd gotten out by the skin of my teeth way too often. And one time, I only went free because someone else saved me." Hiccup paused for a moment, looking at the hilt in his hands. "His name was Alexander." He nodded before she could ask about him telling her to call him Alexander as his alias. "Yes,  _that_ Alexander. Although, to this day I don't know if that was his actual name or if he simply liked the grandeur associated with it. But that's what everyone called him."

"He was someone like me. Few years older, poor, living on the streets. And he saved my ass. Majorly. I don't know where I would've ended up if he hadn't. He kindly informed me of the 'thief's code' after that; half of what you stole goes to the person who saved you from getting caught. And he continued to mentor me from that moment on, saying he found me  _interesting_." Hiccup vaguely gestured with his hands, his voice heavy. "He was also the one who got me into being paid for my… services. The first woman I had sex with was one of his former clients. And he set me up with nearly all of the others too, and would take a cut of my payment in return."

"We continued to spend a lot of time together, and he taught me how to be successful, in doing, well,  _that_ ," Hiccup continued, his voice turning soft. "Along with many other things. I finally made enough to take proper care of Toothless, whose health was improving, and overall, I was starting to feel like things were getting better. Like I could open myself up again, because the world wasn't constantly trying to hurt me."

"Did you and he ever…?" she asked, recalling him alluding to his experience with men. And how that hadn't been for money.

"Oh, all the time," he answered, a laugh leaving him. "Of course there were some women who liked the thought of the both of us coming as a package deal, but usually, it was just me and him."

"What happened to him?" she mumbled, figuring that if Hiccup had found someone to be with all the way down there in Constantinople, there had to be a reason he'd returned to the Archipelago after all. And that Alexander hadn't been with him.

"I started to trust him," Hiccup scoffed. "He'd tease me about how he thought I was hiding something, since I was going back to take care of Toothless all the time, but he never asked further. And once Toothless started to get better, and it looked like we could actually leave Constantinople again, I decided to show him. Because I didn't want to keep it a secret any longer. So I introduced him to Toothless, took him flying, the usual."

Before she could ask a follow up question, Hiccup got up to his feet. "It was my fatal mistake.  _I trusted him_." He kicked the fire, sending sparks over the rest of the sea stack. "And he sold me out."

She gasped, but Hiccup didn't look at her, just staring straight into the flames instead, his eyes narrowing. "I went to see Toothless, and was met with a blade at my neck. A whole squad of Byzantines, along with Alexander, who gladly informed me he'd ratted me and Toothless out. In exchange for a shitload of money, of course." He balled his fists. "Toothless trusted Alexander,  _because I'd told him he could_ , and by the time he'd realized something was wrong, they'd already muzzled him. We were taken captive by the Byzantine Army, who couldn't believe they now actually had a dragon at their disposal. All because I'd made the mistake to trust someone again."

"Gods, Hiccup, I –" she started, approaching him as his face scrunched up with  _hurt_ , starting to forget the conclusion the story had to be leading up to, and how angry she was with him.

"It's how Toothless got most of his scars!" Hiccup yelled, pointing at the dragon, who didn't seem exactly sure what was expected of him, just nudging Hiccup's hand and letting out a low whine.

His sudden anger made her stop her approach, unsure of what would come next. "They tortured him, mutilated him, tried to bend him to their will, because  _gods_ , of course all they could see was a potential weapon. That's how people are, after all," he spat. "But Toothless wouldn't do anything, no matter how hard they tried. Because he didn't know where I was, if I was still alive, or if they'd killed me. And if they hadn't gotten me out of my cell and taken me to Toothless before it was too late…" His hands quivered, his voice breaking. "I think he would've killed himself."

"Every problem Toothless has ever had, has been because of  _me_ ," he breathed, his chest heaving as he gestured wildly. "He lost his tail because  _I_  shot him down, he was grounded for months because  _I'd_  burnt myself to the point I nearly died, he got sick because  _I_  wanted to get as far away from the Archipelago as possible, and he was tortured and almost died because  _I_ told him to trust the guy I was  _fucking_!" He buried his face in his hands, crying out in frustration before he looked at Toothless, his voice calmer. "Yet he stuck by me, because he loves me, and I just – I just had to get us out, no matter the cost."

He looked at her, his gaze stern. "The Byzantines had figured out that Toothless and I wouldn't do anything without each other, so they tried to come up with a way to work with that. They found I was useless on the battlefield – I was a thief, not a warrior – so they taught me how to fight." He twirled Inferno's hilt around in his hand. That's why he fought so differently from everyone else, she realised. "I cooperated. They got too comfortable. They underestimated me, just like everyone else." He ignited the sword in front of his face, the flames dancing in the reflection in his eyes. "And one slip-up was enough for me to prove them wrong. At the cost of their lives."

She didn't know what to say. In a way, she was relieved, because of course, if it'd been between Toothless and him, or them, he would have gone as far as to kill who was standing between them and freedom. "It wasn't your fault you got captured, not fully, you –"

"I know," Hiccup nodded, balling his right fist. "Alexander shared the blame. Rotting away in a cell gave me quite enough time to contemplate just how despicable he was. He'd sentenced me and Toothless to die. So I returned the favour."

Her breath left her. "You did what?"

He looked at her, his expression hard. "I tracked him down. Slowly, methodically, because by the time I got out, he wasn't in the same place anymore. But leaving just enough room for word to reach him that someone was after him. And by the time I found him, hauled up in some fancy house, paid for with Toothless' blood, and my own, he knew I was coming. I had made sure he did. While leaving nowhere for him to run."

She gaped at him, her body growing cold. "You…"

Hiccup didn't move a muscle, his jaw set when he completed her thought. "I killed him."

She raised her hands to her mouth, struggling to keep them steady as she just stared, looking for a sign of something other than the extreme frigidity in Hiccup's eyes. He hadn't had to do it, he could've let it be, but he had gone out of his way to kill his former lover nevertheless. " _Why?_ "

"Because he deserved it," he bit. "He didn't show me and Toothless any mercy. He used me, abused my naivety and my trust. Toothless could've died because of him. I wasn't going to let him get away with that. Not anymore."

"You took your revenge," she realised, blindly gazing at the man in front of her, unable to believe he would do that.

"I hoped it would make me feel better. It didn't. Not really," Hiccup continued, his eyes narrowing. She sighed with relief, until he spoke up again. "It just confirmed what I'd already figured out by myself. He was pathetic, a snake, a waste of life and yet another example of the one vital lesson I  _somehow_ still hadn't learnt. That people are despicable, always out to use you, trying to get ahead and to bend others to their will if they have the power to do so. Which I should've known from the moment I left Berk. Which I should've been reminded of when the Wingmaidens told me to leave. But no, I kept hoping, that there were people out there who actually understood me, and who I could learn to trust again."

He started pacing again, gesturing wildly as he raised his voice. "And tonight, I was actually stupid enough to start believing in it again! That you weren't the  _one_ exception!  _Of course_ , I had to fool myself into thinking there might be more of them, that maybe, Vikings aren't so bad after all. But  _fuck me_ , I was wrong!" he shouted. "They're all the same. Every single one of them. Snotlout, Dagur, Spitelout,  _my dad_. They hurt the dragons I love so much, the dragons I came back to this  _godsdamned fucking shithole_  for, who I finally realised I could no longer abandon after I'd almost lost Toothless! And I'm sure that if they couldn't hurt dragons anymore, they'd just start hurting each other, because that's the way Vikings are. And that won't change."

He looked at her, his chest heaving, the cold in his eyes replaced by a burning heat. "I could kill them. Definitely. Easily. But I  _choose_ not to. Because I don't want to sink to their level, to that of knuckleheaded, egotistical murderers. And it wouldn't change a thing if I did do it. Because they're all the same. Kill one chief, and the next one takes his place, just continuing where the previous one left off, or worse, because they feel the need to prove themselves. It would never end."

"I learnt many, many things while I was away. Right up until the moment Alexander died," he continued, his voice dropping. "When he cried, begging me,  _squirming_   _on his fucking knees_ , trying to convince me not to take his life. Because he was out of options. And I realised, that in that moment, I could've told him to do anything. Because the fear of what I could do to him was way more powerful than the act itself."

He reached for his hair, burying one of his hands in it, scoffing, rambling on as if she wasn't even there. "It's such a strange thing, the power of suggestion, and illusion. Berk doesn't know what I would or wouldn't do, so I can tell them anything, as long as it comes across as believable. Because all that matters, in the end, is what I  _could_ do. And apparently me blowing up every part of their village with ease didn't get that message across properly. So I gave them a less subtle reminder tonight."

"But why…" she stammered, looking at Hiccup, searching for an inch of a smile, a touch of kindness, but coming up empty-handed. "You've been defending the dragons for so long, and it's always gone well…"

"Because I don't know if we'll be able to kill the Red Death. And I'm not sure they'll be willing to listen even if we do." He looked at her, balling his fists. "So they need to know who they're dealing with. And for the first time in their lives, actually  _respect_ me. Because I am never,  _ever_ , letting someone use me, and those I love, ever again."

His words echoed through the silence that hung between them after that, in which she struggled to tear her eyes away from his. She no longer wondered how Hiccup had looked at Snotlout when he'd told him to kneel for him, back on Berk. It had been the exact same look as the one he was giving her right now, though it was not directed at her specifically. His pupils shrinking, his single eyebrow angled downwards, framing a thoroughly cold and hateful glare. She knew that look. She'd been on the proper receiving end of it before. Right before he'd thrown her down to plummet to her death, so many months ago. All to show her who was  _actually_ in control.

And seeing that gaze again absolutely terrified her.

Instinctively, she took a step back, accidentally bumping into Stormfly, who gawked in concern. Hiccup blinked at her, his gaze suddenly softening, and took a step towards her. "Astrid?"

Protectively, she curled her arms around her, trying to console herself, her mind refusing to process everything she'd just heard. That only prompted Hiccup to step in even closer, sheathing Inferno and reaching out to her. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head at him, exasperated that he even had to ask. "You –"

"I what?" he asked, frowning.

"You should have told me," was all she could manage.

"Astrid, I told you, I've never done what I did tonight before," he tried.

"That you  _killed_ someone, Hiccup!" she shouted, hugging her own stomach. " _Fuck,_ I knew it, I knew you hadn't told me everything!" She'd been right, but Gods, she hadn't wanted to be right!

"It's not exactly something I'm proud of!" Hiccup retorted.

"Oh really? You sounded pretty content with your methods just now!" she shouted, because getting angry was definitely easier than accepting all he'd just told her.

"Of getting into that situation in the first place! Because it'd been my own carelessness yet again, because I wasn't properly on top of things!"

"And you can't stand it when you're not in control, can you!?" she asked, although she knew the answer.

"I need to be. Because if I don't, it will be used against me," he told her, as if it was just that simple.

"Gods, Hiccup, for Thor's sake, I just,  _fuck!"_ She leant against Stormfly, looking for  _some_ form of support. "You can't keep throwing things like that at me! I thought I finally knew everything that  _really_ mattered, and now you –" She gestured at him, not sure what she wanted to say, so she just shook her head, her teeth sinking into her lower lip. "I –  _Fuck!_ "

Hiccup took another step closer, his eyes filled with concern. "Astrid, I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier, but Gods, I never knew  _how!_  Let's just go home, or to sleep, and we'll talk about it again tomorrow, or not, whatever you want, I'm not exactly calm right now either after all, and I…"

He reached out to her, and it took every bit of strength in her not to lean into it. Instead, she stepped away from him. "No."

Hiccup's single eyebrow went up, his face filling with shock. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I can't go home with you," she told him, shaking her head.

"Astrid –" Hiccup started, his face dropping, some colour finally returning to his green eyes as they peered into hers. "I'd never do any of that to you, you know that right? I –"

"I can't deal with this right now. With you." She looked at him, the man she loved, who her mind was struggling to accept a potential murderer. One who wasn't afraid to use that suggestion to scare masses of people into  _respecting_ him.

She stepped back into Stormfly, seeking the shelter of her dragon's wings. "I need to be alone."

"Astrid," Hiccup tried again, his voice breaking. " _Please_."

She looked away from him, tears stinging in the corner of her eyes. "Go home, Hiccup."

"Will you…?"  _…come back?_ she could hear him ask without him actually saying the words.

"When I'm ready to talk to you again." And she really didn't know when that would be.

He stayed silent for a while, not giving her a reply, but she refused to look at him. She couldn't allow herself to break now. Not until she was somewhat thinking straight again. Because right now, she just didn't know what to do. About everything. It was too much to deal with.

"Toothless," was what Hiccup eventually broke the silence with. "Your arm, can he at least…?"

"Okay," she conceded, walking past Hiccup, her head held low, and kneeling in front of the Night Fury.

Toothless looked at her, worried, his pupils big and his teeth retracted as he let out a low whine, which almost sounded like a 'Sorry'. She hugged his big, friendly face, pressing her lips to his skull, hoping he understood that she wasn't angry with him, and that the dragon had absolutely nothing to apologize for.

"It's not your fault," she told him when she let him go, Toothless giving her a low warble in return, indicating that he understood. But he didn't drop his apologetic gaze.

She nodded, holding her arm out to him. He licked it, cautiously, getting rid of the blood and making sure the wounds would heal properly. The cuts were shallow and hardly hurt, she thought, but then again, her mind was…  _otherwise occupied_.

"Hiccup?" she asked, her voice low.

"Hm?"

"Why did you tell me to call you Alexander? You know, if we lost each other tonight." After what she'd just heard, that didn't make  _any_ sense, at all.

"As much as I hate his name, and everything about him, it would've been effective," Hiccup softly told her. "No matter when, where, or who would shout it at me. I'd hear it. So it seemed like the most obvious choice."

"I see," she mumbled as she got back up.

"Are you sure you don't want to go home instead?" Hiccup tried, using her question as an opening. "Then you can just sleep there, instead of out here, and I'll stay away, really."

"Hiccup," she sighed, feeling his hand hover near her arm but choosing to walk away instead, turning her back towards him. "Please just  _go_."

"Okay," he answered, his voice almost a whisper. It hurt to hear.  _Gods_ , it hurt. And so did the sound of him eventually adjusting Toothless' tail. "Astrid, I…  _I love you_."

She glanced behind her, finding him on Toothless' back, looking at her, his green eyes wide, uncertain,  _lost_. She wished she could hug him, close her arms around his slender chest, which suddenly looked a lot frailer than it used to. But she knew that if she did, she'd completely lose herself in him. Again.

"I know," was all she could give him response.

She could see Hiccup suck in a breath, wincing, his eyes closing until he decided to hide them altogether by knocking his visor down. After another moment of silence, he and Toothless shot off, disappearing into the night once more, leaving her to look on until the black shape eventually disappeared from sight.

Only then did she feel the tears in her eyes, her grief taking her by full force as she collapsed to the ground, choking back the cry that escaped her throat. Stormfly immediately joined her there, curling around her rider and softly nipping at her braid, hoping to console her.

Astrid buried her face in the crook just behind the Nadder's skull, sobbing against her friend's scales and holding her as tightly as she could. Feeling terribly alone. And completely lost.

* * *

For the past twenty years, weddings hadn't really been Stoick the Vast's favourite kind of event on Berk. They took a long amount of time, he was expected to attend every single part of it, and to this day, even after all these years, watching these new couples pledge their lives to each other and eventually start a family was… difficult. He tried to be as happy for them as he could, knowing that as Chief, he couldn't let his own feelings get in the way. But it was never easy to forget that he'd once had all of that too. And that the dragons had taken it away from him.

But he was nothing if not dutiful, so he always completed every task that was required of him, while trying to appear as cheerful as he could. More often than not, he'd find that he had quite a good time after all, watching his people enjoy themselves and making sure nothing happened to them. And he'd resolved to do the same at Snotlout and Ruffnut's wedding. But this time around, he'd failed. Majorly.

He'd spent most of his night slumped in his chair at the Chiefs' Table, enjoying the occasional drink – never too much, he needed to stay sharp, especially at a wedding as big as this one – and listening to Dagur blabber about all his 'accomplishments' while he just watched the dance floor move in front of him. He'd get up and walk around every once in a while, checking if everything was still going well and their guests were content – Berk had to look its best, after all – before moving back to his seat. It was slightly strange, not sitting in the place he was used to, on the Chief's Throne, or hanging out with Gobber, but he never minded it; he was one of the bride and groom's guests, after all. Although no matter how hard he tried, all through the night, he couldn't stop thinking that, safe for the theme – which he still thought to be ridiculous and unnecessarily provocative, but at least his people seemed to have fun with it – this should've been Hiccup's wedding. Not Snotlout's.

But that was just the way things were. And as frustrating as it was, as frustrating as it had been for the past almost six years, there was still absolutely nothing he could do to change that.

It made him feel jaded to the point that he almost considered walking away when  _their song_  finally came on. Not his and Hiccup's – Hiccup had always had to be physically pushed onto the floor if tradition required him to dance, but his and Val's. No matter how tired he and his wife were, or how long their day had been, or how much of a dancer he wasn't, he would always dance to it with the woman he loved with all his heart.  _For the Dancing and the Dreaming_.

The first year after she'd died, he would walk out of the Hall when it played, unable to watch those who were lucky enough to still be able to swirl their wives around to its tunes. It simply felt horribly unjust. But over time, he'd made his peace with it, instead resolving to watch his people dance to that song in particular. Because even though his time had passed, they still deserved to have the joy he'd once had.

It was always a great song to observe, because every couple reacted so differently to it. There were those who scuttled off to the side, not quite ready to sing the lyrics that involved the words  _Marry me_ , and then there were those older duos who knew the steps by heart, the way they danced it reminiscent of the passion they'd done so with when they were younger. And always, without question, there'd be at least one pair who outshone all others, moving with the joy of two people who were truly, deeply, soul-crushingly in love with each other.

It hadn't taken him long to spot that particular couple this time around. Because the man had clearly been aware of it, repositioning his lady with purpose before the song started. And Stoick swore, with absolute certainty, that the man had focused his gaze on Stoick himself, for just a mere moment, as if he'd been fully aware that they were being watched.

The man, fully dressed in black, nothing visible of him but the confident way in which he carried himself, had danced with his lady, who had been completely covered in a combination of silver, blue and gold, a fur hood pulled up over her head. He'd done so as if his life had depended on it, as if he had something to prove, to show to everyone who'd been watching. And the couple had practically fallen into each other's arms when the song ended, visibly elated. They had snuck off to go outside afterwards, obviously intending to do what young couples tended to do.

Stoick had smiled at them, his heart warmed by these two people, who he didn't recognize, but who were clearly absolutely smitten with each other. Wishing them the best of luck in the back of his head.

If only he'd known then who he had actually been watching.

The Phantom.

From the moment the Phantom had started talking from his place up on Stoick's knocked-down throne, there hadn't been a doubt in Stoick's mind that the man was speaking the truth about his identity. He'd expected himself to be taken aback by how different the Phantom looked from how he'd imagined him, only to find that he had never had the faintest idea of what their enemy was supposed to look like. All he'd ever associated with the Phantom were his voice, and his actions. And those matched with the man who was claiming to be him. Perfectly.

As soon as he'd expected things might go wrong, with Dagur and Snotlout engaging in one of the dumbest, most ridiculous ego competitions he'd seen to date, he'd tried to calm them down. To no avail. Because  _of course_ the Archipelago's people wanted nothing more than to give the Phantom a piece of their mind. They didn't know as much about him as Stoick did, after all. And it hurt him to say that when the doors were blown up, announcing the Phantom's arrival, part of him hadn't even been surprised.

Nor had he been taken aback by how powerless he'd been to protect anyone from what had followed as much as he ought to. All he could do was pick up the pieces of everything the Phantom had completely obliterated; his people's pride and their confidence. They had been too scared, too terrified to do anything, which Stoick couldn't blame them for. He'd been one of them too, after all. And they had searched the entire island for the fiend, with no result. He'd considered telling them about the tunnels, but had decided against it. He knew well enough by now that they'd only ever find the Phantom if he wanted to be found. Especially now that he'd revealed that he wasn't only friendly with dragons, he rode one. A _Night Fury_. Of all dragons,  _of course_  it had to be a Night Fury.

Stoick slammed his fist into the ground in front of him, some pieces of wood bouncing up due to the impact. He was sitting on his knees, having finally found a moment to himself after trying to bring structure to the chaos that had erupted after the Phantom had left. Because no one had known what to do. The rest of the feast had been called off, many visitors immediately retreating to their ships because they refused to stay on Berk any longer, and it had taken him hours to convince the rest that the Phantom was gone – and if he wasn't, that they wouldn't find him – and that they could go to bed. So only now, morning already upon them, he had the time to look at the debris of what else the Phantom had decided to destroy. His entire family's legacy.

He supposed some would say there was a certain irony to it, although he refused to recognize it. His son, murdered by a Night Fury. And the portraits of every Haddock man who'd come before him, shattered by the man who rode one. At least they now knew for sure that the Phantom was indeed a man. Tall, slender,  _wielding a flaming sword_. A thing from nightmares, and as far away from a Viking as anyone could ever be.

Desperate, trying to choke back a tear because he was the Chief, and he couldn't cry, not in public, he went through what little was left of the shield portraits. Trying to find something, just a little piece of the features of Hamish the First and Hamish the Second, or maybe, just maybe, he'd find a fragment of his father's proud smile, of the portrait that featured them both. It was the only picture he had of his father, and he'd look at it at least once a day, recalling the day it was painted and how happy his old man had been. He'd often recognize how, while Hiccup had always been more like Val, Stoick himself had grown into nearly a mirror image of his father.

But no matter how hard he tried, all he found was ash, dust and splinters. Every memory of the Haddock legacy destroyed. Reduced to nothing by the Phantom. Just like he'd diminished Stoick himself the past two years.

He searched his mind, trying to think of something he could do to salvage what little was left, or if they had any copies of the portraits, but he came up with nothing. He'd have to ask Gobber, maybe he knew something, although he was aware the odds were small. Or perhaps the village's collective memory would be enough to recreate them?

Before he could think on it further, his thoughts were interrupted by someone calling out to him.

"Chief?"

He turned around, finding Fishlegs Ingerman standing behind him, looking nervous and fidgeting with his hands. At his side, standing a little further back, was a raven-haired girl, about Fishlegs' age, who Stoick didn't recognize, but she looked just as uncomfortable.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Chief, we, the Phantom, uh –" Fishlegs squeezed his eyes shut, struggling before he blurted out: "We danced with him tonight!"

He sighed. "That's fine, I'm sure you weren't the only one, he seemed to have been here for quite some time before he revealed himself."

"That's not what I mean, Chief, you see, it's…" Fishlegs looked at the girl next to him, who gave him a nod to stir him on. "There was a woman with him. She had blue eyes, Heather saw that too, and I already thought they looked familiar, and since we found out the man she was with was the Phantom, I just can't stop thinking…" He paused for a moment, looking at his feet, his next words so soft Stoick almost couldn't hear them. "Could it have been Astrid?"

He stayed quiet for a moment, overthinking his words. "I don't know, Fishlegs," he eventually lied.

Because he absolutely couldn't publicly admit that he had been suspecting the exact same. That he had been searching his mind for every time he'd seen the Phantom tonight and had by now confirmed that it had always been the same woman who'd been with him. The woman in silver, blue and gold, who'd seemed fully devoted to him. Making the thought, the suggestion that had been echoing through his head for hours now, no matter how hard he tried to push it away, a very real possibility.

_Astrid Hofferson had betrayed Berk._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There has always been one hole in Hiccup's backstory, which Astrid failed to notice, because it really wasn't that obvious, and Hiccup had covered it up quite well. Which was the circumstances in which he came back to the Archipelago and what truly pushed him towards the beliefs he has about humanity - which he's shared, occasionally, although never as bitterly as in this chapter. He's said he had come back to the Archipelago to protect the dragons, after realising there was nothing out there for him. But it was always played off as some gradual process, whereas that wasn't the full truth; sure, there was an element of slow realization to it, but he'd made the actual decision after the events he described above. Which he's always avoided talking about, always kept hidden - and Astrid felt that, pointed it out in chapter 31, that he talked about himself in the places he'd gone to suspiciously little. Although as readers, we're more likely to think of the things Hiccup is hiding right now - him harassing Stoick, which he still hasn't admitted - rather than search his past for anything else.
> 
> Kind of puts this line from him in chapter 23 in perspective too;
> 
> "But, I want you to know that, if we were to ever go that far [referring to sex]," he whispered as he softly caressed her face. "It'd be the first time I'd be doing those things with a woman I really care for."
> 
> He said 'woman', not 'someone'...
> 
> So, his deep-rooted trauma might explain his actions, put them in perspective, but does it excuse his actions?


End file.
